Of Unexpected Deliveries and Doorsteps

by molliehhhh

Stunned, Severus just stood there looking at the baby in the basket on his doorstep. What the ****! Why was there a child on his stoop? Befuddled he saw the letter stuffed into the side of the carrier and opened it. My take on what would happen if Petunia gave Harry to Severus. Warnings Inside! So please read them. The pairing is Lucius/Severus and eventually Theo/Harry.

10. Chapter 10

Author: HatefulRodeo

Story: Of Unexpected Deliveries and Doorsteps

Notes: Hola Lovelies! Alright, we have a few POV's in this chapter but they are pretty obvious so I won't blather on about which one is which; I have confidence you'll all figure it out. Also, there is a slight time skip but not a large one. Anyway, enjoy the latest chapter and thanks to all that reviewed, fav'd, and followed; a big thanks to those who did all three!

Parseltongue looks like "This"!

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

Previously:

However, Draco's obsession with order worked in the raven's favor this time. Once the blonde saw how messy Harry's trunk was he would wave Harry off and repack all of Harry's things nicely. Yup, sometimes using a little manipulation wasn't a bad thing besides he believed Draco liked packing Harry's stuff and harping on his emerald eyed brother for his messiness.

But that was just speculation and he knew Draco would never confirm it for him. Entering the first years' dorm he laid Ebony onto the bed and opened his trunk before opening his wardrobe and tossing in his shirts and pants. A hiss and a growl from behind him let him know that Draco saw what Harry was doing. With a small smile the raven turned and gave his sibling a questioning stare.

He was promptly showed out of the way and the blonde was pulling out his haphazardly packed clothes out of his trunk and laying them on the bed. Harry smiled and sat on his bed and began speaking to his year mates while Draco packed his things for him. Yup, it was shaping up to be a good Yule!

~*~*~*Chapter 10*~*~*~

The feeling of excitement rippled through the Great Hall the next morning and Harry couldn't help smiling; he would be going home today! Nothing and he meant nothing could put a damper on his good mood. Life was good; he was happy, his family was healthy, and the school looked festively fantastic! The castle was decked out in in shimmering baubles filled with Fairy lights and massive Fir trees sat sentinel around the Great Hall, covered in baubles and shining lights of every color; the decorations put everyone, even his dad though you'd never know unless you knew him, in a very festive mood.

And Harry wasn't the only one getting into the Yuletide spirit; many students were laughing and smiling cheerfully, barely suppressing their excitement to go home for the holiday. The emerald eyed wizard was right there with all them; he couldn't wait for the break to officially start so he could return to France and celebrate the Winter Solstice with his family. Maybe he would try to see some of his muggle friends from primary school? He immediately scratched that plan as it would be too difficult to explain where he was attending school and where Hogwarts was. Plus, he didn't want to violate the International Statute of Secrecy by clueing the muggles in on the fact that magic did really exist.

Nope, it would be easier to just leave those stones unturned; it sucked a little since some of the muggle kids were quite nice but it was for the best. Harry wasn't part of that world anymore and he would have to get used to that. However, he would never lose touch with the goings on in the non-magical world.

So many things were invented and created by muggles and it would be a shame to lose that knowledge just because it came from non-magical people. He'd ask his dad to subscribe to one of the muggle papers while he was home from school during breaks; it never hurt to keep up with the news since what happened in the muggle world effected the magical, even if it was indirectly.

Besides maybe reading a legitimate paper would be a refreshing change from the garbage the Daily Prpophet wrote about. Truly Harry thought the world was coming to an end in early November when they printed the fact that he was a Parselmouth; the whole British wizarding world was in an uproar about it.

But the emerald eyed wizard didn't give a damn about it at all. However, whoever contacted the paper about Harry's ability was an arse who caused Harry many a headache. Why did the students, and even some of the Professors, think he was evil just because he could talk to snakes? Ebony was with him since he'd stepped foot into Hogwarts and she'd never done anything aggressive or harmful toward anyone.

Harry believed you judged someone on their actions and choices not their abilities. Sure the Dark Lord was a Parselmouth and he was as bad as they came but Harry was not Voldemort! He was himself and wanted to be judged buy his own accomplishments and on his own merits. Luckily things once again died down after a little while but he still caught some kids looking at him as if he was about to start casting Avada's like it was going out of style, which was just stupid!

He was eleven! No eleven year old no matter how skilled or powerful could cast the Avada Kedavra. Try telling those idiots that though and see where it got you. Harry learned, and it was being enforced everyday, that some people would believe what they wanted and they would never change their minds no matter what you did or said. It just annoyed him a bot that they believed the Prophet over Harry on a subject that was about Harry; how did that make sense? It didn't but whatever he would let thses thoughts bring down his happy mood.

Still smiling he sat down next to Theo at the Slytherin table and began to serve himself some eggs, toast, and bacon. He would miss the elves cooking; his dad may be able to brew a potion but his culinary skills were a bit under par. Except when it came to making breakfast and baking cookies and Merlin knew papa Luc would never deign himself low enough to pick up a pan.

Sometimes Harry wondered how they'd survived all those years in France with no House Elves cooking for them. Then again maybe they had an elf and Harry never noticed. It wasn't like he paid attention to where the food came from when he was younger; it only mattered that it got into his mouth and filled his belly.

But now that he was at Hogwarts he noticed and recognized all the things that House Elves did for them. They cooked exceptionally, cleaned and pressed his clothes, the little creatures made sure their dorm and Common Room were spotless and clean. All in all Harry would be royally screwed without them. He should find out where the Elves lived here in Hogwarts so he could thank them; he'd ask his dad where they lived over break and seek them out after Yule break.

Hopefully, one of the Malfoy family elves would be there to help out around the house in France; no matter how much Severus seemed to hate the little creatures. Okay, hate was a strong word but from what Harry saw his dad didn't like House Elves very much. Severus claimed he found them annoying with their squeaky voices and submissive attitudes. That being said his dad did like one Malfoy elf despite his shrill tone.

Harry quite liked the little creature, too. Dobby wasn't like any other elf he'd ever met before. The elf was loud but he was unafraid to speak his mind when the situation called for it. However, Dobby felt the need to punish himself whenever he found his backbone to speak up. This whole Dobby punishing himself thing didn't sit well with Harry and he'd ordered Dobby to stop it.

Why should any elf, or living being for that matter, feel afraid to speak up for themselves? It wasn't right at all and the raven wouldn't stand for it and he wouldn't allow others to treat anyone like trash just because they thought they were better. Even Draco and Lucius treated the elves with indifferent cordiality. They two blondes would never like the elves as they saw them as servants but they didn't abuse them either. Harry could live with that since it was the best he would get from the Malfoy males.

While he was thinking on the subject of food maybe Harry should look into trying to cook for his family. What could it hurt, really? He may set something on fire but he lived with two fully grown and powerful wizards; surely his fathers could put out any fires or repair any damage Harry wrought with his culinary adventures? Well at least Harry thought they could fix whatever was damaged if it came to that.

But did he want to cook during his break? No, no he really didn't. During his break he wanted to relax and enjoy himself; sleep in late and do nothing if that's what he wanted. So cooking, or attempting to, was out for the moment. One day he'd pick up a pan and pot and cook but for right now he would just enjoy his last delicious meal in the Great Hall before he and his brother boarded the Hogwarts Express to go back to Kings Cross where papa Luc would be waiting for them.

Theo nudged his side, calling for Harry's attention. The emerald eyed boy turned to his friend and cocked his head to the side in a questioning manner. The tall blonde flushed a bit; "I was wondering if you'd like to come to Nott Manor over the break?" Harry beamed at his friend and promptly agreed to come over and visit his fellow snake.

He was sure he and Theo would have a great time together; they always did. Theo and Harry just worked well together. They complemented each other very well; he was hot tempered at times and Theo was cool and calm. While Harry sometimes rushed into things without thinking Theo always had a strategy, several in fact, on how to deal with the issue.

It sometimes annoyed him that Theo was so collected but he realized that was just how his friend was and Harry wouldn't change him for the world. Besides Draco Theodore Nott was his best friend and the raven was thrilled to be invited to Nott Manor for a visit. It was a privilege to be asked to come to a pure-blood's ancestral home.

Pure-bloods guarded their homes and secrets jealously so this invitation for Harry to come visit was a big deal and the raven felt honored that his friend trusted him enough to ask him. This invitation would have to be answered in kind too. Over the summer Harry would ask; if it was alright with papa Luc, for Theo to come and stay at Malfoy Manor since that was the closest place he had right now to an ancestral home.

He wouldn't get to access the Potter's ancestral home or vaults other than his trust vault until he was of age; that sucked but there was nothing to be done for it. Anyway, it wasn't like he, or his family, was broke and hurting for the money he couldn't reach yet.

Theo smiled that small smile that Harry quite liked on the taller boy's face and responded; "Great, I'll owl you so we can set up a day for you to come over. I'm looking forward to it." Harry nodded and went back to his breakfast his smile even brighter than it was before. Draco looked at him, silently asking to know what was going on with him and why was Harry smiling like a loon.

The Potter-Snape shook his head, telling his brother without words that he would explain later. He wasn't sure if Draco would become upset that he wasn't invited to Nott Manor with Harry and the emerald eyed boy didn't want his brother to have a sulk in the middle of the Great Hall because he wasn't invited to join Harry at Theo's.

Well Draco would get over it in time if he did have an issue with Harry going. Harry loved his brother but he felt like they needed to spread their wings and make lives for themselves outside of each other. His blonde sibling would always be his brother, his best friend, and confidant but Harry knew he needed more people in his life than just Draco.

And Draco knew it too to some extent. During the school year the Malfoy heir began to become closer to Blaise Zabini; the two worked well together much like Theo and Harry did. However, their disagreements were much more explosive than his and Theo's. Blaise was calm and cool like the Nott heir but when someone ruffled his feathers, something Draco excelled at, the chocolate skinned boy was explosive.

Harry had spent many an amused nights in his dorm listening to Draco and Blaise snapping back and forth at each other before he and Theo had to stop Blaise from strangling the exasperating blonde boy. Harry felt for Blaise he truly did. He had the urge to maim Draco several times over the years but that was what made Draco Draco.

The blonde was infuriating sometimes but you couldn't ask for someone better than the blonde if you ever got into a tight spot. Harry knew his brother would move heaven and hell to help him and Harry would do the same. Blaise seemed to know this as well and whenever the Zabini heir got into an argument with Draco he would be the one to approach the blonde to reconcile, knowing that the Malfoy heir was too proud to apologize.

Yup, dealing with Malfoys was an artform and one required an incredible amount of patience to deal with them but it was worth it. Severus somehow had gotten Lucius to calm down on the snobbishness over the years so Malfoys were trainable; you just needed years to grind them down or as his dad once muttered withhold sex long enough.

That may be true and he was glad his dad knew how to handle his papa but he really never wanted to know about his fathers' sex life. Ewwww! How the hell had his mind gotten here?! At this point Harry was just going to stop thinking and enjoy his breakfast before he vomited thinking about his fathers having sex! Ew, ew, ew; it was disturbing!

Theo apparently noticed his friends face turning pale and nudged Harry's shoulder to bring the green eyed boy's attention back onto him. Harry was very grateful to his friend and slung an arm around the blue eyed blonde's thin shoulder and gave him a squeeze; "Thank you Theo, thank you! You're amazing!"

The Nott heir looked confused as to why his emerald eyed friend looked so relieved and Harry could tell the taller boy was at a loss for a reason why Harry was babbling his thanks at him but in the end the Nott heir didn't bother asking Harry what was going on with him.

Somehow Theo knew he just didn't want to know what was going on in that raven head of Harry's. In the end Theo settled for; "No problem, Harry. Are you sure you're alright?" Harry nodded vigorously before launching into a discussion about the Quidditch match that would take place right when they returned from Yule break; Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw. That match was relevant to the snake house since they were currently in the lead for the Quidditch Cup but Gryffindor and Ravenclaw were right behind them.

The match between the Lions and the Eagles would let Slytherin know how many points they would need to rack up in their next Quidditch match against Hufflepuff to stay in or regain the lead in the standings. However, Harry wasn't worried about it too much. But Harry wasn't to fussed about it; Slytherin had a fantastic Quidditch team with a demon as a Captain and Chaser. Marcus Flint, priorly mentioned demon Captain and Chaser, would not allow the serpent house to lose this year. His dad would also be less than pleased if he didn't get the Quidditch Cup again this year.

Theo had an opinion similar to Harry's in regards to their houses chance in winning the Quidditch Cup. During the Quidditch conversation several boys and a few girls from several years jumped in and began to banter back in forth about the game. Several girls, including Pansy and Daphne, and a few boys were rolling their eyes as they watched the Quidditch obsessed argue back and forth about which brooms were better and how big of a shot did the Chudley Cannons really have of not finishing at the bottom of their league this season.

Soon their conversation was cut off when his dad stood at the head of the table near the entrance to the Great Hall and called for their attention. When the whole of Slytherin House was looking at him Severus began to speak; "Good Morning, I want all seventh years to stand and follow me outside so I can hand out your term grades. If any of you have questions I will answer them then. The rest of you will remain here until I come back to collect you."

Several still seated Slytherins murmured; "Yes, sir," or "Of course, Professor", but his dad wasn't paying attention and swept out of the Hall; the seventh years trailing behind him looking a bit anxious about receiving their end of term grades. Harry wasn't worried but a few students looked a bit green; well it was their fault for not studying or seeking help if they were having an issue with a class. For Merlin's sake Harry sometimes asked Neville for advice about Herbology! So if he could do it then his fellow snakes could too!

Draco looked calm as did Theo and Blaise but Greg and Vince, as Harry called them now, looked a bit nervous. But who could blame them the two large boys were dense but not due to lack of trying. They'd both approached Harry for some help in a few classes and Morgana knew the emerald eyed wizard tried to help them but it didn't seem to accomplish anything.

The two boys seemed to have an issue with grasping concepts; they could cast the spells alright but it was the theory that escaped them. That was why they'd sought out Harry. The Potter-Snape was considered by his Professors as a prodigy when it came to Charms, Defense, and Transfiguration; all classes that relied a bit heavily on theory, so it stood to reason that Greg and Vince would seek him out for assistance.

Hopefully, they at least secured Acceptable's in their classes; Harry would check with them when they returned from Yule. The raven wondered if he should start a study group? It would do them all good since Harry, Theo, Draco, and Blaise were considered amongst the smartest students in their year so Harry felt it was their job to make sure their other year mates didn't fall behind in their studies; it would make Slytherin look bad if that happened.

Harry looked around the Great Hall, giving small smiles and nods to his associates from other Houses; Neville, Hermione, and the Weasely twins at the Gryffindor table. Susan Bones from Hufflepuff and Parvati Patel from Ravenclaw. These people were the few he spoke with outside of his house on a regular basis; he would like to extend his association with more of the students but they were wary of him.

Some because he was a Slytherin, some because he was a Parselmouth, and others because they were in awe of the Boy-Who-Lived and couldn't form a coherent sentence around him. Others were enamored with him and couldn't stop stuttering and gushing at him, thanking him for defeating You-Know-Who; these instances were the worst for the young Potter-Snape. He really had no idea how to respond to the vapid fangirls and boys.

He didn't want to be rude but sometimes that was the only way to get them to realize that he didn't want them in his presence. Sure, he wouldn't mind them if they stopped blushing and making mooney eyes at him but that seemed unlikely at this point in time. Draco and the rest of his Slytherin friends found it amusing to watch him squirm but they always rescued him if one of the obsessed got a little too zealous with their approach. Thank Merlin, Morgana, and Salazar for that!

Well it was what it was and Harry wouldn't lose sleep over something he could not control. All he could do was avoid the rabid fans; which incidentally helped him learn some of the secret passages in the school. So it seemed the crazy fans had a purpose after all; they improved his knowledge of the castle and helped him practice stealth and aversion tactics. Those stealth tactics would no doubt be helpful for him to know down the line.

HIs dad stepping back in to call for the sixth years brought his attention back onto the conversations going on around him. He chuckled when he saw Draco glaring at a smirking Blaise; he wondered what the chocolate skinned boy did now to piss his sibling off? Oh well the blonde would get over it, no doubt before they left to board the train; Draco was moody like that sometimes.

~*~*~*Time Skip~*~*~*

Harry jauntily sat down inside their chosen compartment on the Hogwarts Express, a smug smile flitting onto his face. Draco rolled his eyes and snapped; "Now will you tell us what your marks were on your end of term exams? Though judging by your unbearable smugness I'd say it was all O's." The raven smirked but didn't answer, causing Draco's scowl to deepen; "Harry, damn it tell me what you got on your exams!"

The raven chuckled at the blonde's facial expression before loftily replying; "Why, of course, I'll tell you dearest brother. All you had to do was ask nicely." Draco gaped like a fish for a moment, making the assembled boys laugh at him, before his mouth clicked shut and he huffed before turning sulkily to look out the window, effectively ignoring Harry, Theo, and Blaise.

The emerald eyed boy knew he was being a pain seeing as Draco asked about his grades since they'd left the castle but he just couldn't help riling the blonde up. He was just so pleased with himself and he knew he would remember the look of pride on his dad's face when he told Harry he'd scored straight Outstanding's on his end of term tests. That made all the studying and loss of fun time worth it; he was definitely getting that coveted Nimbus 2000 off papa Luc now!

He shook his head and nudged his brother in the side; grudgingly the Malfoy heir turned his head to glare at raven haired sibling. Harry smiled at him and nudged him again, letting Draco know he was done being an arse. The blonde sniffed haughtily before speaking; "So...what the bloody hell did you get on your end of term exams!"

Harry laughed along with Theo and Blaise; trust Draco to not let something go until he got what he wanted. Quieting down the raven finally told his brother and friends what he'd received on his tests; "Well I received straight O's in all my subjects." Draco slapped him in the arm and congratulated him on his good scores. Theo and Blaise were right behind the blonde to offer their compliments on his grades.

He already knew each of their scores since the three of them were eager to blurt out their stellar marks. Blaise, Theo, and Draco tallied O's in all their subjects with the exception of one E each. Harry was proud of them for doing so well; Severus told him it was strange to have four first years do so well in their exams but he knew the four of them had worked very hard to get the marks they had.

He wondered how Granger did? Merlin help the school if she didn't get straight O's! She would never leave the library again! He laughed internally and poked the snake resting lazily around his shoulders under his robes. Ebony sleepily poked her head out and surveyed the compartment before slithering off Harry so she could snuggle herself around Theo's shoulders.

The tall blonde had gotten used to Ebony's affectionate nature towards him and now just sat quietly and stroked her scaly head. Harry was greatly amused to watch this as well as here Ebony command Theo to scratch here or there; this was greatly amused to Harry as well since Theo had no clue what his familiar was saying to him.

Nonetheless the tall blonde accepted that Harry's large serpent liked him for some reason and stopped freaking out when Ebony used his as a warming post. It pleased Harry that his snake liked Theo just as much as her Master did. It showed that the Nott heir was a good and trustworthy person to have around. If he wasn't Ebony wouldn't have become fond of him.

He watched as Theo stroked his snake's head and murmured words to her; words that Ebony replied to and Harry translated. Draco and Blaise quickly joined the conversation; all of them enjoyed speaking to his sometimes sarcastic and snarky familiar. Not to mention that Ebony always had some tidbit of gossip to speak about since she constantly slithered around the castle eavesdropping on people while she hunted.

The rest of the journey to London passed quickly, full of conversation and sweets courtesy of the old witch who pushed around the food trolley.

~*~*~*POV Change and Time Skip~*~*~*

Lord Voldemort and his willing host, Quirrell, made their way silently through the nearly empty castle on the eve of Yule; it was quite late and the Dark Lord knew that Dumbledore was out of the castle for the night and wouldn't return until the wards that were surely guarding the Sorcerer's Stone were triggered. He could probably dismantle the wards, and if he encountered any simple ones he would but the heavier wards, if there were any, would just have to be suffered through.

Besides the parasitic Dark Lord had a feeling none of the erected wards would physically harm him. It was a hunch, but then again his hunches were usually right, that the Headmaster wanted Harry Potter to seek out the Stone as a test of the boy's skills. Unfortunately for the aged meddling fool the Boy-Who-Lived had never seemed interested in the third floor corridor or so the snakes within the portraits surrounding the corridor told him.

How disappointed must Dumbledore be that his supposed golden boy of the Light had shown no interest in his little scheme? Most likely this little test with the Stone was but one the old man would try. He knew the old Headmaster well and the old goat did not give up easily once he got his head wrapped around something. He never saw Tom Riddle as anything but a disturbed boy. The old man never looked a bit deeper to see the boy under the icy shield of a mask.

No, the old man almost encouraged Tom Riddle's isolation, watching him and attempting to obstruct his younger self's growth and achievements. Well he hadn't succeeded in the least in the end. Lord Voldemort's downfall was brought on by his own insanity and blind narcissism, not the old Coot, but that was the past and one must learn from their previous debacles in order to move forward; something Dumbledore never did learn.

Where the old bastard cast Tom Riddle in the role of an enemy he'd cast Harry Potter-Snape into the role of savior. Only time would tell how badly the Headmaster's plans would backfire; one day those close to the boy would see the Headmaster's manipulations with their own eyes, most likely Severus Snape was already wise to the old man's intentions, and obstruct Dumbledore in them actively; if they weren't already.

He'd sit back and watch the show play out. All Dumbledore was doing by attempting to manipulate Harry was pushing him further away from him. Further away from the Light and while the boy may never be counted as the Dark's ally he wouldn't be among its enemies; the Dark Lord was alright with that. The Boy-Who-Lived was too intelligent and observant for his own good and one day that boy would grow into a formidable man.

The little Snape was already setting himself up well; gathering people around him that would be useful or influential later on after Hogwarts. Harry was much like him when he went to school at Hogwarts but they differed in one way; where Voldemort saw his followers as followers Harry saw them as his friends. Maybe that was the better way to go about it though. When someone saw you as a friend and felt care toward you they were less likely to betray you.

Then again Pettigrew was James Potter's friend for years and had no issue with stabbing the Potters in the back but the rat was an anomaly. It was fortunate that the rat was the Potter's Secret Keeper or Voldemort would have killed him when he caught him after the sniveling wretch graduated Hogwarts. But as he was thinking Pettigrew was an aberration amongst the Light side.

During his gambit of madness he'd captured and tortured several Light supporters close to Dumbledore and tortured them well past the point of sanity and still they held their tongues; some even going as far as to bite their tongues off rather than spill their secrets when given Veritaserum. But then again his Death Eaters, generally, were the same; most would rather die than betray their Lord.

Probably because his followers knew the price of betrayal if it was found out; that punishment was death, delivered in the most painful of ways. However, he couldn't fault some of his followers for switching sides during his foray into madness. Severus Snape would be forgiven, mostly because killing the man would upset the little Potter-Snape and the Dark Lord didn't need that boy interfering with his plans.

He already needed to worry about Harry seeking vengeance for his parents' death. Though Pettigrew held most of the blame for his parents' death but surely the Dark Lord would take his share of them blame. He was the one who raised his wand to cast the Killing Curse but it was war, damn it! While Harry may not understand what that's like now he hopefully would as he got older.

During a war you do what you have to do to win and secure your victory. In his demented state of mind he thought it best to neutralize the child prophesized to kill him and to do that he needed to eliminate the whelp's parents; who were high ranking Order of the Phoenix members in their own right. So in his mind he was eliminating three promising threats with three simple slashes of his wand.

It was remarkably logical strategy for his once mad self but he was digressing from his mission. Tonight he would slip past the three-headed dog and retrieve his prize. He wasn't sure what else would be through the trapdoor but he was prepared to meet it and as he dwelled on many times over the past school term the tests and protections were orchestrated to allow a first year to pass them.

Between himself and Quirrell they were two qualified wizards; one who was a font of magical knowledge; Light, Neutral, and Dark. Without further adieu the door separating him from the dog opened on slightly squeaky hinges, alerting the best to his presence. The Dark Lord felt no wards surrounding the door and pooked their head inside.

The massive creature began to snarl and snap at him but couldn't reach him due to the heavy chain around its neck,connecting it to the back wall. With a mental smile he ordered Quirrell to conjure a harp and spell it to play for an hour. His host complied with ease and before long the beast was snoring loudly, sending gusty breaths of hot air onto their body as they opened the trapdoor in the stone floor.

Cautiously Quirrell lit his wand and stuck it into the hole in the floor. When nothing launched out of the trapdoor to attack them the stuttering Defense Professor jumped into the darkness and landed on something vine-like and squishy; within seconds the Dark Lord felt the tentacles begin to ensnare them tightly in its grasp. With a mental hiss he commanded his host to cast Incendio to rid them of the troublesome Devil's Snare.

A few jets of fire later and they were making their way through the door to another simple challenge; this one was comprised of flying keys which could not be summoned. As derogatory as it was the Dark Lord had to submit to riding an old, broken down broom to retrieve the correct brass key; at least he was not in his own body or the humiliation of riding this contraption would be too much to bear.

The correct key caught Quirrell slipped it into the rusted lock and twisted it to unlock the door. Making haste they entered the next challenge; that of a giant chess board. So far they'd faced Sprout and Flitwick's challenge so this must be McGonagall's; no matter how much he found the cat woman annoying he had to give her credit for her spell work as it was incredibly advanced.

However, it would not stop him from his goal and with a mental smile he took more control over his host; the glint of red in Quirrell's eyes becoming more prominent as he made his first move. The game went swiftly, if anything the Dark Lord was an excellent strategist and soon enough the Black King's sword was falling to the ground in defeat.

With a disturbing grin showing on Quirrell's kind face they proceeded into the next chamber which held a table topped with several bottles and a piece of parchment. He moved forward slowly, checking for wards and finding none, still in control of Quirrell's movements; he was waiting for another trap or trick to spring but none came.

When he stood in front of the head of the table flames erupted in the two doorways in the room. Ah so there were a few tricks waiting for them, curious the Dark Lord looked at the two dorrways in the room. The one he just came through sported purple flames and the one he needed to enter was now shrouded in black fire. With a sigh of annoyance he plucked up the parchment and read the riddle aloud.

"Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,

Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,

One among us seven will let you move ahead,

Another will transport the drinker back instead,

Two among our number hold only nettle wine,

Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line.

Choose, unless you wish to stay here for evermore,

To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:

First, however slyly the poison tries to hide

You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;

Second, different are those who stand at either end,

But if you would move onwards neither is your friend;

Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,

Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;

Fourth, the second left and the second on the right

Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight."

With a chuckled the Dark Lord immediately zeroed in on the correct potion needed to pass through the door and the one that would allow him to leave when he found the Stone. The third one in the line was the one needed to advance while the seventh would allow him to leave the room if the flames didn't dissipate by then. With quick movements he snatched the third potion up and downed it, shivering a bit when it felt like ice was moving within his borrowed veins.

This must have been Severus' contribution to the cause; the Dark Lord would know his Potion Master's work anywhere as the dour man's potions were always two times more effective than any other brewers. Once the potion had done its job he removed the seventh vial and placed it in Quirrell's robe pocket and then moved to walk through the door covered in black flame.

It was an odd sensation, feeling the heat from fire lick at their body but not burning them at all; intellectually he knew he would not be burned by the flames since he drank the needed potion but on a primitive level he was still unnerved to walk through fire, something primal and base within him told him that fire was dangerous and he should not go near it.

He tamped down on his instincts and swept through the doorway into a large stone chamber reminiscent of the Great Hall, only smaller. Within the large stone room a large mirror framed in tarnished gold shimmered, looking quite harmless but the Dark Lord knew better. Just by looking at the mirror he knew it was enchanted with powerful magic. Quirrell's now red eyes glinted in curiosity as they walked toward the mirror, examining it closely.

At the top an inscription was written and Voldemort spoke it out loud; "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi." He thought on the words for a few minutes and could not match them with any dialect or language known to him so it was not a language. He considered this and figured that the words must be scrambled; now to figure out how they were arranged; the simplest solution was usually the right one.

The Dark Lord read the inscribed words backwards a few times, sounding them out to find their correct order and cackled when they finally made sense; "I show not your face but your heart's desire." Well that made getting the Stone that much easier as getting the Stone was his heart's greatest desire but for some reason he knew it wouldn't be that easy, not when Dumbledore was involved. But he needed to try something and moving to stand front and center in the mirror was a good beginning step.

Quirrell's image reflected back at them, red eyes squinted in concentration as the Dark Lord thought over and over about getting the Stone so he could regenerate himself. His prize didn't come forth but he did see himself as he used to be before he became deformed, standing in front of the Ministry as the British Minister of Magic; the hordes of adoring witches and wizards standing around him bowing in awe.

While that was a wonderful image it was not the one he sought. Not detoured he began to think about what Dumbledore could have done to ensure that no one could get the Stone that he felt didn't deserve it. If he was the old fool what would he have done? He would have made sure whoever retrieved the Stone would not want it for their own gain; so that excluded him from retrieving it.

What to do, what to do? A spark of inspiration hit him and he quickly withdrew from Quirrell's mind totally, shuttering their connection as best he could. Before he left his host to his own mind he murmured; "Wish for the Stone so you can protect it from harm's way." He felt his host's mental nod of agreement and after that he was in the dark, waiting for Quirrell to succeed in his task.

The Dark Lord wasn't sure how long it was until his host began to prod at their connection but when he felt his servant's call he opened their link and mentally crowed when he saw his follower holding a large blood red stone; his prize was finally his! Impatient to be gone and away from Hogwarts before Dumbledore came back Voldemort forced himself back into control of Quirrell's body and they swiftly made their way out of the chamber.

The potion was still in effect and he got through the black flames with no issue and once he downed the proper potion he raced through the purple fire with no problem. The chess board had reset itself but made no move to impede their progress and the door leading back into the room with the flying keys was closed but unlocked, allowing them back into the key room.

From there it was a matter of exiting, burning the Devil's Snare and levitating themselves back into the room that held the still sleeping dog. It was too easy and the Dark Lord was on edge as he made his way silently through Hogwarts; not toward the Entrance Hall but toward the Chamber of Secrets. That was the safest place to go for them. No one at the school save him could enter Salazar's private space as you needed to be able to speak Parseltongue to enter.

And the only other known Parselmouth was Harry Potter-Snape and the boy was spending his Yule at home with his family; the many variables that allowed him to steel the Stone seemed to have aligned perfectly on this night. But it was not the time to revel in his victory; he could not lower his guard until he was safely ensconced in the Chamber.

As he entered Moaning Myrtle's bathroom he heard several people racing towards the lavatory, knowing they were coming for him the Dark Lord hurried to the sink and hissed; "Open." Within moments the sink began to lower and without a thought he hurtled their body over the porcelain fixture and hissed the chosen word to make the sink rise again to close the entrance; "Close."

The last thing he heard before the fixture guarding the Chamber sealed itself was Dumbledore shouting a high powered Blasting Hex at the sink. Voldemort cackled, knowing the old coot's spell would do no good; the sinks were warded by Slytherin himself, no one with the exception of another Founder could have undone them. This meant he was truly home free since the only wards he was now surrounded by were also Slytherin's and did not tie into the main wards surrounding Hogwarts.

With a maniacal grin on his face he made his way toward the Chamber Door, reveling in his victory and the delighting in the anguish he heard in Dumbledore's shout before the sink closed in the old man's wrinkled face. All he had to do now was escape through the many tunnels that ran through the school; one of which exited outside the school's wards in the Forbidden Forest.

*~*~*POV Change~*~*~*

Harry was jolted awake out of his dreamless slumber when he heard what sounded like Dumbledore's voice shouting his dad's name from the kitchen downstairs. At first he thought he was still dreaming but then the light in the hall shown underneath the door to his room and he knew something bad must have happened for Dumbledore to call his dad this late on the Eve of Yule. Sitting up in bed he blinked his eyes a few times to focus them and stretched out his back while trying to make sense of what was going on downstairs.

Not hearing much and getting more curious by the second Harry slipped out of his cozy bed and put on his slippers. He quietly made his way out of his room and down the stairs. Draco joined him to investigate what was going on; both boys were confused as to what it could be but both knew it wasn't something good. They peeked around the corner and looked into the dark kitchen. The only light in the room coming from the green flames in the hearth.

They could see Dumbledore's aged face was featured in the center of the fireplace; Harry had never seen the man look so disheveled and if he didn't know better afraid. The raven cleared his mind and listened in. He watched as his dad and papa Luc listened to the old man speak about the Stone being stolen by Quirrell.

So Quirrell was the one after the Stone; well Harry had not seen that one coming at all. However, the next piece of information hit him with the force of a Bludger to the gut. "Severus, Lucius, that is not the most disturbing thing about what occurred tonight. Quirrell escaped into the Chamber of Secrets; Quirrell spoke Parseltongue and I swear the man's eyes were red. You both know what this means!" He watched his fathers stiffen in shock before Lucius took Severus' hand in his, offering support and comfort to his dad.

Harry watched as the two men who meant the world to him had a silent conversation with their eyes before Severus spoke; "What would you like us to do, Headmaster?" The old man sighed; "Would you be able to bring Harry through so he could attempt to open the entrance to the Chamber? We need to get down there as soon as possible but Harry is the only other known Parselmouth and as such is the only one who could possibly do it."

The younger raven watched his dad stiffen and grimace as if he was in physical pain before his face smoothed and Harry knew his dad had come to a decision; "Lucius and myself will speak to Harry and ask him if he is willing to do this. I will not lie to him; this is a dangerous situation and my son will have a choice on whether he wants to risk his neck for you." Dumbledore nodded in acquiescence, knowing this was the best he was going to get out of the protective father.

Severus and Lucius turned and began to leave the kitchen, prompting Harry and Draco to scurry into the living room. Their fathers found them sitting on the sofa looking like a child who was just caught sticking their hand in the cookie jar. Harry was fidgeting a bit and looking at their Yule tree with great interest, wondering, vaguely, what he would be getting for Solstice? He already received new pajamas, which were lovely and warm, but he knew papa Luc would go overboard, as usual. Harry also considered what they'd have for dinner tonight? Whatever it was it would be delicious Harry was sure.

The onyx eyed wizard sighed, breaking Harry out of his mental rambling and getting his attention, before asking; "How much did you two hear?" Harry nibbled on his bottom lip, staring into the fireplace where their large Yule log still burned brightly and marshaled his thoughts; "We heard that Quirrell stole the Stone and it sounded like the Dark Lord was possessing him somehow. And Dumbledore wants me to try and open the Chamber of Secrets since I'm a Parselmouth." Both older males nodded in reply as they had nothing to add; Harry had summed it all up quite well.

Lucius cleared his throat; "Harry, no matter what you chose to do you know that your dad, Draco, and I will support you. We will not pressure into making a decision. This could be a very dangerous task and we don't want to see you hurt so think carefully before you make your choice." The emerald eyed boy closed his eyes and thought about what he wanted to do.

He did want to help Dumbledore not because he had any form of affection for the old man but because if Voldemort had the Stone and the crimson eyed maniac needed to be stopped before he could do something horrid. Harry knew he couldn't just stand by when he could do something to help; with that thought in mind he opened his green eyes and looked directly at his dad; "I want to help but once I've opened the Chamber I want to leave; I see no use for me remaining and getting in the way."

His fathers smiled at him and Draco nudged him while grinning at him; the younger blonde's grin turned into a smirk; "Well, brother, it seems we've finally drummed some self-preservation into you." Harry snorted but said nothing; he already knew he sometimes tended to run pell-mell into situations without giving a thought to his safety but this was something altogether different.

This wasn't a Quidditch game or trying to stop someone from bullying someone else. This was the Dark Lord and Harry had no desire to face that man in any form. Decision made he excused himself to change and clean himself up a bit; Draco rose with him to do the same, saying that Harry wasn't going anywhere without him.

It didn't happen often but sometimes Draco's overprotective big brother tendencies reared their ugly head, mostly they annoyed Harry but this time Harry was more than willing to accept whatever comfort having his sibling, and fathers, along would give him.

Together the boys climbed the stairs, papa Luc following behind them so he could begin dressing while Severus entered the kitchen to explain to the Headmaster what they as a family had decided to do. Harry walked into his room and encountered an annoyed and groggy Ebony; "Master, what is going on? Why are you awake? Who was yelling? Why are you getting dressed?" Harry had to chuckle at his familiar's annoyed tone and her rapid fire hissed questions.

After he'd slipped on a sweater, comfortable robe and jeans he turned to his serpent and answered her questions; "Dumbledore called for dad tonight after he discovered that someone stole the Stone from the third floor corridor. I'm getting dressed since I'm the only one other than the Dark Lord who can open the Chamber of Secrets."

Ebony hissed in what could have been anger; "And you were just going to leave me here! I'm coming with you and when we arrive at the school I will be shifting to my original length. I won't let anything happen to you, foolish hatchling!" Harry just lifted his peeved familiar onto his shoulder and stroked her scales as she slithered under his robes. He knew she would get over her irritation with him soon but it was nice to know that she cared so much for him and his safety.

He really was lucky to have so many people, and a snake, around him who genuinely cared for his health and happiness. But now was not the time to reflect on that; he had a Chamber to open. Harry could think about these maudlin, fluffy, things later when he came back home. He removed a pair of socks from his dresser and put them on. After he was dressed he went downstairs and slipped on his knee high boots and heavy winter cloak.

Severus and Lucius were standing off to the side in the kitchen holding each other; Harry knew they were both afraid of what this meant for them. They were not loyal to the Dark Lord but they were still branded by the man and now after ten years of peace the man who made their lives hell was rising from the shadows. Harry would do whatever he could to help his parents; they were the ones who loved him and raised him and he wouldn't let anything hurt them if he could help it.

He knew now that Severus and Lucius had taken a great risk in accepting him and raising him. And now that the Dark Lord, through his possession of Quirrell, knew about the two Death Eater's affection for Harry they would be at the top of the monster's hit list when he regained his full strength.

Draco slipped an arm around Harry's shoulder, being careful ot to hit Ebony, and nudged his temple with his nose before he spoke; "Hey, no matter what we'll stick together. We don't know exactly what's going on so for now let's just take it as it comes, alright?" The emerald eyed wizard nodded in agreement; there was no point in freaking out yet. When they knew more about what the Dark Lord was up to then they could start jumping to conclusions and making suppositions but for right now they needed to get to Hogwarts.

The two eleven year olds entered the kitchen and went to stand next to their chosen parent; Harry with Severus and Draco with Lucius. Dumbledore's head was still in the hearth and when the two boys were next to the older wizards he spoke; "I'll leave the connection open, you know the words to speak Severus." The Potions Master merely nodded curtly and waved his hand for Dumbledore to get out of the way so they could floo through.

The old man moved out of the green flames so Harry and Severus could enter the hearth. Severus spoke clearly so Lucius could here the correct words to get them to Hogwarts; "The Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland, Mike and Ike's!," those words made Harry wonder why the old coot would select a password like Mike and Ike's before he was swept away in the bright green flames, holding onto his father's arm with one hand and Ebony's body with the other as they were swept off to Hogwarts.

Wellllll that's all for this chapter! I had to cut it here before this chapter went on for too long. I find that chapters over 8,000 words can be too much at one time. Just my opinion and since I'm writing this fic it's my opinion that matters! Hehehehe! Anyway, next chapter more things will be going on with our favorite Dark Lord and Harry has a bit of fun over break.

Oh and Yule or the Winter Solstice takes place on December 21 so if anyone is wondering what he hell day all this is happening on it's December 20 since it Yule Eve. I had Harry and family burn their Yule Log on the Eve of Yule.

Also, I used some excerpts from The Sorcerer's Stone in this chapter; I'm sure you all figured out where they were but I still wanted to reference it here.

Hope you enjoyed this update and more too come soon!

All Mistakes Are My Own!