Author: HatefulRodeo

Story: Of Unexpected Deliveries and Doorsteps

Notes: Hola Lovelies! Alright, Severus' then Harry's POV. This chapter has some plot but is mostly filler/background but it had to happen so enjoy and I'll update again as soon as I have the time to. Real life is crazy and I am related to insane people who tend to show up unexpectedly on your doorstep. Oh well such is life! Enjoy the chapter!

Parseltongue looks like "This"!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I will make no money from the posting of this story.

Previously:

The idea had merit but for right now he would put it on the back burner as the muggles say. Things were not going well at the moment but all had not been lost. The boy still needed to be sorted and the blood in that boy's veins was Gryffindor gold and crimson; Dumbledore would wager all his galleons on it. Unfortunately, the aged man was wrong, terribly wrong; Harry Potter-Snape went to Slytherin, much to the awe of everyone, and disgust of some, within the Great Hall.

Dumbledore's plans were shot to hell and back in no less than half an hour. The aged man tamped down his ire through Occlumency and regained his composure to clap for Harry being sorted into the snake house. He pushed any thoughts of Harry, Voldemort, and his future schemes out of his head for now; he would have plenty of time to contemplate things tonight in his office.

At least the Sorcerer's Stone was in place for Harry to find; it would be a good test to see where the boy was in terms of strength. With a silent sigh he stood to give his speech once the last first year, Blaise Zabini, became a Slytherin.

"Welcome, welcome, to another year at Hogwarts." And with those words Harry Potter's first of seven years at Hogwarts was underway.

~*~*~*Chapter 8*~*~*~

Severus swiftly left the Great Hall, relying on the Slytherin Prefects to get the first years to the dorms and settled in. He'd speak to the eleven year olds tomorrow when they would be able to focus on what he had to say to them. The first years were always too excitable on the first night to remember his beginning of the year advisements and what he had to say was important and set the tone for the rest of their seven years at Hogwarts.

He also wanted to get to his quarters so he could fill Lucius in on where their boys were sorted. The blonde Lord would be ecstatic that his heir and surrogate son were in Slytherin; Severus was pleased as well. With the two of them in Slytherin the Potions Professor could keep a better watch over them seeing as he was their Head of House.

But something was rankling him, something he would need to sort out with his son tomorrow. Why had Harry looked so upset while he was waiting to be sorted? What happened to make him go from shining happiness to barely bridled indignant fury? Severus could only think of one person who could upset his child so much; Dumbledore. Though what the old man could have done was debatable.

The raven haired wizard pushed those thoughts out of his mind for now. There was no reason to speculate, and stress, on what upset his son; he'd find out tomorrow morning. When he reached the portrait guarding his rooms he muttered the password lowly and swept inside his rooms, smiling when he saw Lucius lying down on his sofa in front of the fire.

The blonde sat up with a look of expectation on his face which made Severus smirk at him while he stripped off his heavy black robe. Once he hung his overrode up by the door he went to sit beside his lover who by now was looking quite impatient with Severus. Chuckling, the raven spoke; "You'll be very happy you know that both out boys are now proud Slytherins. I think you should see the Pensieve memory of Harry's sorting though. It was...entertaining to say the least."

Lucius snorted in amusement; "Entertaining, I would say hilarious if what my imagination is supplying me with is correct." Severus smirked and responded; "Indeed, but now that Harry had been reintroduced into our world again things will be different and more dangerous. People now know that he is my son; a former Death Eater adopted the Boy-Who-Lived. Lucius, what happens if the Dark Lord finds out about this?"

The Malfoy Lord wrapped an arm around Severus' shoulders, tugging the worried raven into his side; "Shhh, Severus, calm yourself. Yes, you are a Death Eater but you defected before the Dark Lord's fall and Dumbledore spoke for you. You were never charged or convicted of any Death Eater activity and the only proof of your former allegiance is your Dark Mark, which last time I checked is not illegal to have."

"Besides I doubt anyone could contest the adoption; it was perfectly legal so I don't believe there will be any means to overturn your custody of Harry. And if someone does there is always blood adoption to consider, which is legal in France where we so happen to live. If it ever looks like Harry is going to be taken from you we will go through with the blood adoption ritual. I'll even adopt the blood adopt the boy if I need to; he's basically my son as it is. Once the ritual is complete no one will be able to take our boy way from us."

Severus nodded, knowing his lover was right but it still made him nauseous to think that someone could take his son away from him. Harry, Lucius, and Draco were his life and if he lost any of them he wouldn't know what to do. He sighed heavily; there was no use getting himself into a lather over things that may or may not happen in the future.

The onyx eyed wizard turned his head so he was looking up into Lucius' gorgeous grey eyes; "What about the Dark Lord, Lucius? What happens when that madman comes back and finds out about my adopting Harry? I don't regret taking Harry in, I never will. I love that boy, both of our boys, but I worry about what the Dark Lord will do to us."

His lover looked into the flames jumping and crackling in the hearth; "Love, we don't know what the future will being for us, no one does. If the Dark Lord returns, Severus, you will not go back to him. It won't be safe and I will not lose you to the Dark Lord's madness. Dumbledore can go to hell for all I care if he has an issue with that. You sacrificed enough during the last war to make amends for your actions. You, also, adopted the son of the woman you believe you condemned to death."

"I think you've paid your debt in full, Severus. We can speculate what will happen in the future but we can never know with certainty what will occur. All we can do is prepare our boys for the worst and hope for the best. I'm confident that we can get through anything as long as we stay together." The Potions Master snuggled into his lover's side, seeking comfort and reassurance; "You think so?"

Lucius gave him his best haughty look; "Of course I do and I am a Malfoy and Malfoys are never wrong." Severus laughed lightly, happy his longtime partner was trying to cheer him up. The blonde looked into his dark eyes; "What brought this on, love?" The raven just shook his head, trying to explain his unease; "It was nothing just something happened to Harry during the sorting ceremony and it made me think of what could happen in the future."

The Malfoy Lord sighed; "Put it out of your mind, love. We'll deal with whatever comes when it comes but for right now let's enjoy our night together since I won't be seeing you again until next weekend." Severus smiled, turning his body until his chest was against Lucius' strong side and tipped his head back, pressing his lips to the other man's.

The blonde wasted no time and deepened the kiss, pressing Severus backward until the younger male was lying on the sofa with Lucius settled in between his legs, their mouths still joined. The Potions Master just let himself be swept away in the wake of his lover's passion; it felt so good to just let all his worries and fears be carried away. His older lover understood and took complete control over the kiss, swiping and twisting his tongue against Severus' while his hands wandered and explored the body below his.

Severus pulled away from his partner's mouth, gasping for breath and moaned when Lucius moved down, sucking and biting his neck in just the right way. His blonde lover always knew how to set Severus' nerves on fire, ever since they first lay together during their Hogwarts' years. Since their first time together when Severus was a fumbling, nervous, third year and Lucius was a self-assured seventh year he knew there would never be another for him. Lucius Abraxas Malfoy was his first, his last, and his everything.

A sharp nip to his collar bone made him moan and roll his hips, pressing his stiffened length into Lucius' equally rigid erection. Lucius leaned back so he could look into Severus' lust blown eyes; "Why don't we move this somewhere more comfortable? I, for one, am not as young as I once was and being fucked into a sofa doesn't appeal to me as much as it did when I was twenty."

Severus chuckled but privately agreed with his lover. The raven pushed against Lucius' still toned chest, signaling that they should get up and move to his bedroom. The blonde easily slid onto to his feet in one graceful motion; how the man was always so languid with his movements Severus would never know but it was utterly natural and just another thing that made Lucius...well Lucius.

With a sultry smirk the onyx eyed wizard clasped his love's hand and drug him into the bedroom. Severus was quite excited to fuck his blonde into the mattress but he knew the night would end too soon and tomorrow he had a group first year Slytherins to speak to; a group that included his sons. But for right now he would focus all his attention on the gorgeous man now standing with him next to the bed.

~*~*~*POV CHANGE~*~*~*

Harry was bouncing on his feet while standing in the Common Room with his year mates. His dad would be coming to speak to them soon and he really wanted to talk to him privately about what Dumbledore tried to do last night. He hadn't told Draco about it, knowing full well his blonde sibling would have flown off the handle in a rage. For all Draco tried to emulate Lucius' calm demeanor he was still eleven and prone to lose it when his loved ones were threatened or harmed.

But that was why Harry loved Draco so much. His brother in all but blood may come off as sarcastic and cool but to the emerald eyed boy he was warm, comforting, and supportive. He didn't know what his life would have been like without his brother's comforting presence and he never wanted to find out. He and Draco were in this together, always had been and if Harry had his way they always would be.

He smiled mentally and watched Draco already begin to mingle with the Slytherins in their year. It was known but unspoken that Draco was to ascend the Slytherin ranks; much like Lucius had, and take control of the serpent house. Harry, of course, would be right by his side, making sure the young blonde succeeded in his goals.

Harry on the other hand had no reason, or desire, to be at the top of the social ladder. No thank you! He enjoyed spending time with his core people; his dad, papa Luc, and Draco were his inner circle for lack of a better term. But the young raven was always looking for other friends and allies and Theodore Nott seemed to fit the bill for what he was looking for in both a friend and ally.

The Nott heir was quiet, observant, and a good conversationalist from what Harry saw. It would be great to have the tall blonde by his side during their school years and it would be even better if their relationship could extend past Hogwarts. The other boys in his year were known but unknown quantities; Blaise Zabini was from a Neutral family and seemed to stay to himself but was not rude or stand offish with Harry so he would keep the caramel skinned boy in mind for an ally.

Crabbe and Goyle came from families that supported the Dark Lord quite fervently and Lucius also said their fathers were dumb as rocks. Harry didn't know if this was true but the two boys, from what Harry observed, seemed to only sit or stand around and answered most questions with a grunt or short one-word answers. The raven wasn't sure if he would start an alliance or friendship with the two large boys but he would be cordial and friendly so he wouldn't burn bridges before he even had a chance to build them.

However, he would always have to remember that these boys were the sons of the Dark Lord's servants; servants that were still faithful according to Lucius. Theo was a safer choice as his mother was murdered by Voldemort so it was possible the boy wouldn't want anything to do with the madman. However, only time would tell. Right now he needed to focus on his studies and what Dumbledore may be up to.

Harry wouldn't lie to himself that attempt at Legilimency had shaken him a bit and set him on edge. At first he thought the Headmaster wouldn't have anything to do with him. He was, after all, a first year student with no magical education; what would the esteemed Albus Dumbledore want with him? Now he wasn't as sure as he was yesterday when he came to Hogwarts.

He would just have to remain alert and on guard where the old man was concerned. This event with the Legilimency may have been something but it could have been nothing. Harry would tell his dad and hopefully he could help the younger raven puzzle it all out. If anyone could figure it out it was his dad; the smartest man he knew with the exception of papa Luc.

The sound of silence brought his attention to the entrance way to the Common Room; Harry couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face when he saw his dad in all his black robed scowling glory. He really loved his dad but Salazar the man was intimidating as all heck when he wanted to be. Severus' deep voice resounded through the room as he began to explain how Slytherin worked.

"Welcome to Slytherin House. As some of you may know my name is Professor Severus Snape; you may call me Professor or sir, and I am your Head of House. I am, also, your Potions Professor. While you are in Slytherin you will do well to remember that outside of this Common Room we are united against the rest of the school. Many students may try to hurt or provoke you due to your being sorted into Slytherin."

"Do not show them any weakness, they will exploit it. Settle all of your issues within these walls. Also, do not go anywhere alone. It is not safe for you to be out and about with no one to cover your back. This may seem extreme but I can assure you it is necessary."

"While you are in Slytherin you will be representing this esteemed House; I will not tolerate you running about looking like a bunch of homeless Crups. Keep yourselves groomed and squared away. I also do not tolerate idiocy; if you have a problem academically speak to a Prefect and they will assist you or if they cannot help you they will direct you to someone who can."

"The password changes every month on the first and will be posted on the message board near the entrance to the Common Room. Obviously, you are not to give this password out to anyone outside of this House. If you do I will be severely disgusted and disappointed."

"As your Head of House I will be available to speak to you if you have any issues you require assistance in. Do not hesitate to come to me. I will never turn away a student in need of guidance. Now I will be handing out your schedules; when I call you name step forward and collect it. Once you have your schedule collect your needed materials and wait by the entrance. After I've handed out all your schedules I will walk with you to the Great Hall for breakfast."

Harry along with the rest of his year mates nodded and waited to be called so he could get his time table. Hopefully, he wouldn't have too many classes on the first day but whatever he ended up with he would do his best. Harry really wanted to show his family he was intelligent and competent in his abilities. It took a while for his name to called as the girls went first and his last name Potter-Snape, only Zabini's name was further down in the alphabet than his among the boys.

Once his name was called Harry walked to stand in front of his dad and retrieved his time table from Severus' hand. He glanced down and noticed he had a double period of Transfiguration with the Gryffindors and then a double period of Potions with the Gryffindors; that should be fun all around! Harry looked into his dad's dark eyes when he heard his first name called softly.

The older raven continued speaking quietly when he had the younger's attention; "I want to speak to you after Potions today; Draco as well so let him know. Once I release everyone from class stay behind so we can speak." The emerald eyed boy nodded and left to collect his books and say good bye to Ebony; his serpent would be taking the time to explore his dorm room and the wherever else she could get herself into.

Harry hoped she found a juicy rat to eat and maybe even find a few cool secrets about the school. Once his bag was packed he gave Ebony a quick caress to her scaly head and left the room, quickly making his way to the gaggle of first years waiting with his dad by the Common Room entrance. When Draco, finally, made his way over they left and made their way to the Great Hall.

His dad, or Professor Snape as he should call the man who was his dad, led them swiftly through the dungeons, murmuring little tidbits and facts about the dungeons and the quickest routes to get from one place to another. Harry was quite glad the older man did this as the dungeons were a bit maze like but the young raven knew he would be fine after a few weeks of living down there.

They came into the Entrance Hall after ten minutes of walking and swept into the Great Hall where breakfast was in full swing. Before Professor Snape released them to eat he turned and spoke; "Breakfast is from the hours of seven to ten, lunch is from eleven to two, and dinner takes place from five to eight. Plan your schedules accordingly so you at least eat two full meals a day."

With those parting words the taller raven left Harry and his classmates to sit down and eat. The emerald eyed wizard was grateful to finally eat as he was quite hungry and wanted to get a good breakfast in him before he started his first real day as a student at Hogwarts. Draco and Theo once again sat on either side of him with Blaise sitting across from Harry.

Together the four boys began to talk about their classes; what they would be like and what their Professors would be like. Occasionally, another one of his year mates would interject with a comment. Harry noticed it was only two girls that seemed to talk a lot; Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengrass seemed to enjoy gossip which Harry really did not like at all.

Yes, information was key but gossip was often wrong, misleading, and slanderous. Harry wanted no part of it but he would listen in on them just in case the two gossips stumbled on something of interest. The other girls; Millicent Bulstrode, Tracey Davis, and Lillian Moon were quiet. They just listened to the two other chatty girls go on and on. Pansy and Daphne appeared to be the leaders in their year amongst the girls and the young raven would have to keep that in mind for later.

Pushing the thoughts of the hierarchy in their year out of his head he put his attention to eating his breakfast which was just as delicious as dinner was last night. The House Elves truly were geniuses with food and Harry appreciated their hard work very much. Once Theo finished eating the four boys stood to make their way to their first Transfiguration class; the rest of their year mates rose with them to leave.

Together they finally found their classroom and slipped inside to take their seats near the front. Harry sat with Theo while Draco was with Blaise behind him. It pleased the raven that his blonde brother was already making connections and spreading his reach. The Zabinis may be Neutral but they were a powerful force in the business and political world. Draco would do well to ally with the dark skinned boy.

When nine o'clock hit the door to the class swung closed, signaling that it was time for the class to start. Harry glanced around, wondering where Professor McGonagall was but was broken out of his perusal by the door swinging open to admit two out of breath boys; one with red hair and the other with mousy brown. Harry assumed the red head was a Weasely, most likely Fred and George's younger brother.

The red head, who Harry believed was called Ronald, muttered in between gasps of air; "Thank Merlin we made it! Could you imagine the look on old McGonagall's face if we were late?!" Harry, and the rest of the class, were taken aback when the tabby cat on the desk jumped and morphed midair into a full grown and very displeased looking Transfiguration Professor.

The Potter-Snape watched as his Professor verbally berated the two latecomers and his mind finally went back to the fact that his teacher just shifted from a cat to a human in under three seconds. Harry was amazed and quite interested in how she did it. He knew wizards and witches with an animal form were called Animagi but Harry wanted to know how one went about becoming one?

It was probably hard work but it owuld be worth it. With the thought of one day transforming into a massive snake in mind he decided to visit the library soon to check out the books offered on Animagi before he asked McGonagall about them. But it was still pretty awesome to know that maybe one day Harry could flicker between forms like his Professor did.

Hogwarts, and magic, really was amazing and it only seemed to get better and better with every minute. Their house in France was home but Harry believed with time this ancient castle could become his home as well. With a mental grin he turned to the front of the room and listened to McGonagall as she instructed them on how one changed a Beetle into a button.

Harry had a good time in Transfiguration; he was quite good at it and he now saw the practical reason for needing to know how to shift a Beetle into a button. How else would he learn to transfigure larger things if he didn't have the basics handled? So even if he found it tedious to have to mess with Beetles it was necessary. The raven just needed to remember that he wasn't going to immediately start transfiguring rocks into tables and such.

It was hard to be patient though; he and many other children raised in magical households were leaps and bounds ahead of the muggle raised kids so they needed to slow the pace of learning to accommodate the muggle-borns. It was annoying but Harry didn't blame the kids, it wasn't their fault how they were raised.

Besides it would be stupid to be mad at the muggles who raised a magical child either. How were non-magical -people supposed to know about the magical world? How were they supposed to know about places like Diagon Alley where they could acquire information for their wizard child? Nope, Harry was irritated with the school, somewhat, and the Ministry of Magic, mostly.

Shouldn't these institutions find the muggle-borns earlier than age eleven and introduce them to, and eduacte them in, the wonders of the magical world? Harry would have been so angry and hurt to learn at age eleven that there was a whole world of magic available to him and he never knew about it due to being muggle raised.

Harry also knew this is what would have happened to him had he been raised with his birth mother's muggle family; the knowledge made him shudder. The emerald eyed boy found watching the muggle-borns struggle was painful, it truly was. Harry wanted to help them but most of them, from what he'd gathered, were in Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. The Lions and Badgers tended to shy away from Slytherins, due to either hatred or fear, maybe a combination of both.

That annoyed Harry as well. Why should he be watched with fear and suspicion simply because he was a sorted into the snake house? He was still Harry and being sorted into Slytherin didn't flip some switch in his brain from good to evil. However, making others understand that was quite a feat; especially since he was the Boy-Who-Lived.

Merlin forbid that he was sorted into Slytherin or adopted by Severus Snape! You'd think the world was ending by the reactions of some of the students in the school. Just this morning he heard several whispers and murmurs about him being Dark just because he was sorted in Salazar's noble house. Truly were people that dense? The person who Harry believed betrayed his parents was a Gryffindor. Why did the sheep never mention that Peter Pettigrew was sorted into the lion's house?

Unfortunately, that little tidbit about Pettigrew, or Black depending on who you asked was responsible for turning on his birth parents, being a Gryffindor was eschewed as unimportant and not spoken about at all. It was amusing, and sad, when you looked at the lengths people would go to keep their misconceptions and bigotry going.

Well Harry wasn't going to tolerate discrimination in any form. He would make friends with who the hell he wanted and anyone who had an issue with it could go hang for all he cared. His family supported him and believed in him so any naysayers were unimportant.

Now he just needed to get through Potions so he could talk to his dad about Dumbledore's attempt to see into his mind. But first lunch was in order as he was incredibly hungry after practicing magic for over two hours. Harry knew his magical core was getting quite the workout so far and that was one of the points of attending school. Using and controlling their magic built up their endurance and core strength in preparation for the next step of their magical growth.

The more control and strength you could achieve the greater growth you would experience. However, there were limits to how strong you could become and that depended on several factors, according to papa Luc. The biggest contributing factor was genetics and the magical strength of your parents. Harry knew his biological father was magically strong as he was a pureblood and Severus told him his biological mother was considered above average in strength for a muggle-born.

His parents' magical strength and their combined genetics would factor into the environment in which Harry was raised. And since Harry was raised in a home where he was allowed to cultivate his magic and express it with practicing simple spells with a beginner wand he would have a better chance of reaching his full potential when he finished maturing magically.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the muggle raised children. Even if they practiced and did well at Hogwarts the lack of practicing with their magic, even a little bit, before they turned eleven would set them back in terms of potential growth. His fathers explained it to him like this; your magical core was like a muscle and magical raised kids worked out that muscle for a year or more before coming to Hogwarts.

The muggle raised only truly started working out their magical core when they arrived at Hogwarts, leaving their cores underdeveloped and the children scrambling to catch up with the magical raised kids. There were of course exceptions to this; Harry's birth mother was above average in power since she knew what she was before Hogwarts began, thanks to Severus, and started to exert some control over her magic.

So Lily Evans came to Hogwarts with a better grasp than most muggle-borns did and that allowed her power to mature to a higher level than most non-magical raised ever did. However, Harry couldn't do anything about the unfairness of this now but he would when he graduated, got his mastery, and joined the Wizengamot. The Potter-Snape had big plans in his intelligent mind and he knew they were good plans if a little bit scattered but he had time to get his Snitches in a row.

Walking into his dad's classroom broke him out of his thoughts and he looked around the large lab with interest. This was where he would brew and study the complicated art of Potion making and he could barely wait to get started! Sure his dad allowed him and Draco to brew some potions at home but nothing too hard and Harry could not wait to make something truly challenging on his own.

The young emerald eyed wizard sat down, Theo at his side once again, and pulled out his book, cauldron, and other necessities. Once unpacked he sat quietly, chatting with Theo about what they thought they would brew that day or if they would brew at all. The Nott heir thought that they would start with something simple; like a Boil-Curing Draught but Harry hoped for something more fun like Polyjuice Potion...okay maybe not Polyjuice but a Fever Reducer would be an ample challenge for him.

With a sigh he remembered that not all the kids were as advanced as the he and Draco were. Hopefully, the others would catch on quick enough so they could move forward and brew more complicated potions. His dad's entrance into the classroom accompanied with the banging of the door slamming closed stopped all conversation.

When silence rang his dad began speaking in a low, dangerous, voice; "You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making, as there is little foolish wand waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic."

"I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death—if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." Harry had to smile at his dad...er Professor's speech as it was so totally him.

But his Professor wasn't done quite yet and with a mental shake Harry tuned back in to his dad and jumped a bit when his last name was barked out; ""Potter-Snape! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Harry smirked a little and responded in a confident tone; "You would get a very powerful sleeping potion also known as the Draught of Living Death." The older raven nodded curtly but Harry could see the pride shining in his dad's dark eyes; "Correct, Mr. Potter-Snape, five points to Slytherin for opening your book before you came to class."

The emerald eyed boy nodded in thanks and watched his dad survey the room for his next victim, completely bypassing the bushy haired Hermione who at this point was almost standing up with her hand waving in the air. She was very obnoxious, maybe Harry should talk to her about subtly? If she didn't calm down in a week or so he would talk to her but for right now he had a lesson to pay attention to.

Severus' next victim was the red headed Ronald Weasely; who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but there. "Weasely!" The red head looked pale and his color didn't look any better after his dad was done with his question; "Where would you look if I told you to find me a Bezoar?" The young Weasely boy looked lost and mumbled; "I don't know."

Severus glared; It is 'I don't know, Sir!" The red head nodded, fear shining in his eyes; "I don't know, sir." Professor Snape just looked at the Gryffindor in disgust before turning back to the Slytherin side of the room; "Malfoy, where would you look if I told you to find me a Bezoar?" Draco smirked in a satisfied way; "Professor, you would look in the stomach of a goat. A Bezoar is a stone that will save you from most poisons."

His dad smirked; "Very good, Mr. Malfoy, take five points to Slytherin then." With that the tall raven turned to the Gryffindor side again and called; "Longbottom!" Harry felt bad for the Longbottom boy; the poor kid was shaking with nerves and fright but his dad didn't seem to care as he flung another question at the poor lion side; "What is the difference Monkshood and Wolfsbane?"

The mousy haired boy looked terrified before a spark showed up in his watery eyes and in a quiet shaky voice he answered; "Monkshood and Wolfsbane are the same plant but are harvested at different times and they also go by the name Aconite before they are picked." Harry smiled at the shy, nervous, boy and he got a tentative, if small, smile back from the Longbottom heir.

His dad looked taken aback by Longbottom's correct answer for a moment but collected himself quickly; "Very good, Longbottom, three points to Gryffindor." The class looked at their Potions Professor as if he'd lost his mind; everyone knew Snape despised Gryffindor and didn't ever give them points if he could help it. Apparently, his dad got sick of being gawked at and snapped; "Why aren't you all writing this down!"

As one the class began scribbling down the questions and the correct answers before their volatile Professor could explode further. Harry loved watching his dad in his element and knew he would be learning a lot this year as Severus was one of the best Potions Masters in the magical world; they were all lucky to learn from him. As long as people didn't take the older man's snarky personality to heart they would be fine.

The class moved forward quickly from there. They were lectured on the composition of the Boil-Curing Draught; looks like Theo was right on what they would be brewing first, and once his dad was done speaking they were released to collect any ingredients they hadn't brought with them to class. Within ten minutes they were individually brewing, the steam rising in wisps from their cauldrons as their Professor swooped around the room supervising and offering advice in a biting voice.

Harry got lost in the motions, dicing and adding ingredients as if it was second nature and in a way it was. Draco was in very much the same mindset; you weren't raised by a Potions Master and not pick up a few things from them. An hour and half later Harry was the proud owner of a perfectly made Boil-Curing Draught but some were not so lucky. Weasely's cauldron exploded spectacularly, splattering himself and Longbottom in the wonky potion.

Harry felt bad for Longbottom who was until that point doing quite alright but after Ronald's mistake the mousy boy was sprouting rather painful looking boils and had to go to the hospital wing with Weasely to get the boils taken care of. Maybe he should ask Longbottom to sit with him in Potions; Harry wouldn't mind helping him a little. It seemed the kid just needed a bit of confidence to succeed.

Harry would also speak to his dad about laying off the shy boy. It was apparent that Longbottom knew about the subject, at least a little, as he did answer one of his dad's questions at the beginning of class so Harry thought Neville deserved the benefit of the doubt. Once Severus called time the students collected a sample of their completed brew and poured it into a vial with their name on it and placed it on the Professor's desk.

Harry motioned for Draco to stay and both boys bid their year mates goodbye. Theo smiled a small smile and told Harry he would save him a seat at dinner. The young raven nodded in thanks to his newest friend before approaching his dad who was seated behind his desk. When everyone was gone Severus waved his wand, closing the door and setting up several Privacy wards and Anti-Eavesdropping spells.

When his dad put down his wand he began to speak; "Now, Harry what was the matter with you during the Sorting last night?" The emerald eyed boy grimaced; "I'm not sure but I think Headmaster Dumbledore attempted to use Legillimency on me while I waited to be sorted."

Draco gasped in shock while Severus growled in anger and stood up to pace behind his desk; "I knew that old coot wouldn't wait long to try something! I just hoped it wouldn't come so soon!" Harry watched his dad pace and mutter many words he would not be permitted to say before he was seventeen, if at all. His blonde brother moved closer to his side and in a low voice spoke; "Are you sure, Harry? That's a serious accusation."

The young raven turned towards his sibling and met his concerned grey eyes; "I'm almost one hundred percent sure, Draco. We both read what it feels like when someone tries to use Legillimency and that was exactly what it felt like to me." The Malfoy heir nodded and responded with a reassuring smile on his face; "Well we'll just have to practice out Occlumency more than we have so we can at least pull away if Dumbledore tries that again."

Harry was about to answer when he dad snapped back into the here and now; "Draco's right Harry; we will begin your Occlumency lessons this Friday after supper. We will meet here and then go to my office. Lucius will be there so he can help teach you. Until then do not look Dumbledore in the eye and if the old man tries to get either of you to come to his office you are to find me. Neither of you, under any circumstance, will be alone with the Headmaster."

Harry and Draco nodded, not willing to argue with the man when he was like this. The young raven knew his dad was worried about him being so close to Headmaster Dumbledore; hell if Severus could have gotten away with it Harry would have gone to Durmstrang and not Hogwarts. Lucius would have sent Draco there as well since the Malfoy Lord had no love for the meddling old man.

But Harry needed to come to Hogwarts as to not set off a panic within the British wizarding world. However, Harry knew his dad and papa Luc wouldn't hesitate to pull him and Draco out of Hogwarts if Dumbledore tried anything major against Harry.

The young raven trusted his dad to keep him safe and he had Ebony and his emergency port-key so he was prepared for almost anything that arose. And if staying away from Dumbledore would keep him sage and appease his dad's worry he would do so without complaint. Severus only ever wanted Harry and Draco safe and happy; why would Harry be pigheaded and go against the man? He was eleven but he was no foolish child, running off half-cocked into dangerous situation just because he was curious. No, that would be a stupid idea and a slap in the face to his dad and Lucius.

His dad turned dark eyes onto his sons; "I want you both to promise me that you'll stay away from the third floor corridor this year." Harry was confused but Draco seemed to know what his dad was talking about; "We will, Sev. Neither I nor Harry have a death wish." The young raven looked at his sibling; "What are you talking about, Draco?" The blonde rolled his eyes and shook his head while answering; "Didn't you listen to the old coot's speech last night, Harry?"

Harry blushed lightly and answered in the negative. Draco huffed but remained silent while his dad looked to the ceiling as if he was asking for patience before he spoke; "Harry, Dumbledore mentioned that all students should stay away from the third floor corridor this year if they did not want to die a painful death. I want you both to promise me you will stay away from there."

"Harry, Draco, under no circumstance are you to go there. If something does happen regarding the third floor you will come to me and I will check it out. You two are advanced for your age but you are still untrained and unqualified to deal with what may or may not be down that corridor. Now promise me." Harry and Draco both looked into Severus' onyx eyes and promised they wouldn't go looking for trouble and would seek out their Potions Professor if something did happen.

Severus nodded when they were done speaking and smiled when he spoke next; "Well if that's all we should get down to dinner. I'm sure McGonagall has assigned some homework for you both already." Harry and Draco nodded again and followed the older wizard out of the classroom once his dad took down his wards and spells around the room. The three of them walked together to the Great Hall in silence and that suited Harry just fine.

The young boy was enjoying the feeling of having his brother and his dad next to him for a little while. He hadn't realized how much he missed being with his dad and it had only been a day! Draco was probably feeling the same way he was about being far away from Lucius but at least they had Severus close by. It must really suck for the other kids who didn't have a parent on staff.

When they entered the hall Harry took his seat next to Theo and Draco situated himself next to Blaise and they began to eat to their hearts content. For a first day it had gone well and Harry hoped they would stay that way over the course of the school year. However, he couldn't help but wonder what the heck was down the third floor corridor...well he would keep an ear out for any information about it but he wouldn't go looking for trouble; he'd promised his dad he wouldn't after all.

Well day one is finished for Harry and company. Our dear Dark Lord will be making an appearance in the next chapter! I'm having Harry reach out to Neville in this fic; they will not be best friends but they will be allies. It's all part of the plan!

There will be time skips in this fic as I doubt any of you, and I know I don't, want to write every second of everyday of Harry's life while at school.

Anywho, I will be using some events from Canon but I may twist them around so you've been warned!

All Mistakes Are My Own!