Harry Potter and the Serpent's Son

Harry Potter and the Serpent's Son

Chapter One:

Harry looked up at the giant, mahogany door of Hogwarts, awaiting his fifth year with dread. He would be doing his O.W.Ls this year, and from what he had heard, they had a bad reputation, and he wouldn't be looking forward to them. No one would. Not even, Harry guessed, would Hermione, the best student in their year, and one of his closest friends. It wasn't really the tests themselves, it was the teachers that marked them. Harry dreading taking his Potion's final, as well as Transfiguration. The coldness of the raging storm outside was overwelming.

The door suddenly opened. Professor Minerva McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor house and the Transfiguration teacher stepped outside into the cool, crisp air, her usual stern expression on her face, her hair in a tight bun that looked like it had never come out. She motioned for the first year students to follow her, while the rest of the student population moved past and stepped into the Great Hall to sit at their tables for the start of term feast.

Harry eyed the young first years. They looked timid, scared even, although Harry remembered being that way himself before he was sorted into Gryffindor. He remembered when the sorting hat had nearly put him in Slytherin, due to the powers Voldemort had unwillingly transferred into him, resulting in him finding out he was a Parseltongue in his second year. Harry shuddered when he remembered when the youngest Weasley, Virginia, or Ginny, as she was called, nearly died. But he preferred not to bring up those memories.

Harry's glanced shifted from the eleven year olds to the staff table. All the teachers were there, plus, to Harry's surprise, was Fleur. Fleur was one of the Triwizard champions from last year. Harry preferred not to think of that either, it brought back painful memories of Cedric. Eyeing the staff table, he saw that she was the Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher. Fleur caught his eye and smiled, waving to him, and, once Harry elbowed him, Ron too. Ron flushed the colour of his hair and turned his head back to his empty plate. Harry inwardly laughed. Ron wasn't the most confident guy around girls, but, then again, neither was he.

He looked around at the other teachers. There was Dumbledore, considered the greatest wizard, who seemed to know everything that went on. Harry even saw Dumbledore give Harry a small smile before returning to talk to Professor Flitwick, the only teacher that was a head shorter than all the first years. But the one who caught his eye was Professor Snape.

Harry was curious to see that Snape was talking to Draco Malfoy. Although they were his two worst enemies, Harry couldn't help but wonder why Draco had gone to talk to Snape at the head table. Draco seemed excited about something, and Snape was talking to him, a small smile playing across his lips. But what bothered Harry was that it wasn't his usual, cold malevolent sneer.

Before Harry could wonder any further, the sorting ceremony was over, and Gryffindor had gained eight new members. Draco had returned to his seat in between Crabbe and Goyle, looking as smug as usual. Dumbledore stood up to announce the start of the feast.

" Sorry I'm late, Albus sir." The boy began. Harry looked him up and down. He looked like a Slytherin, from head to toe, but Harry was shocked in the least to hear him address the headmaster as Albus, and most of all, to hear that he had an American accent. But then it struck Harry that he looked very familiar, like someone he knew...

" It's quite alright. Please, do sit down" Dumbledore said, motioning to a spot near him at the head table. Taking off his outer robe, the boy sat in between Professors Snape and Flitwick. Running a hand through his spiked hair, he smiled at Snape. Not an evil smile, nor a sarcastic one, just a smile. And then it hit Harry...

" Now," Dumbledore began. It seemed for a moment that Harry caught Dumbledore looking at him for a moment, then at Draco, then his gaze wandered onto the rest of the school. " We have a new student here, transferred from the United States, and I do hope that after his long journey, that you will make Salazar Snape feel welcome and at home. Tuck in." Dumbledore added before sitting down.

The clatter of Ron's fork would have been heard if not for the intense amount of whispers that suddenly erupted from the students.

" Snape, did he say?"

" Perhaps it a coincidence..."

" I think he's Snape's son!"

" Forget thinking, I know he's Snape's son!"

There was no doubt about it. The similarities between them were immense. They looked exactly alike, except for the length of hair, and Salazar looked a little kinder than Snape did. Although...Snape didn't look as cold as usual, to Harry, but he doubted if anyone else noticed. Finally taking his eyes off the staff table, he turned to his Gryffindor friends, who looked as if they were thinking the same thing that he was.

"I wonder, if he's Snape's son, then why hasn't he been at Hogwarts all these years?" Asked Hermione. If there was one thing more that she held in her body besides answers, it was questions.

" Well, you heard what Dumbledore said," Ron replied, as if she was asking a stupid question. " He's from America. He was probably living with his mom or something, and visiting his dad in the summer and maybe Christmas and Easter."

Harry and Hermione stared at Ron. Never had either of them heard Ron give and answer with such haughtiness and knowledge, and it shocked them. They just stared until Ron impatiently said " What?", before returning to his meal. Harry and Hermione exchanged worried glances at each other, wondering about his mental state or health, before returning to their own meals. Harry could have sworn he caught almost every girl in the school giving Salazar quick glances before turning away. Even Hermione.

When the feast was over, Professor McGonagall handed out the timetables for the Gryffindors. Harry's face fell as he saw Double Potions with the Slytherins on Wednesdays and Fridays. And Divination right after. Harry didn't know which he disliked worse. Having your least favourite adult in the school make snide remarks at you for two hours or have to sit in a sweating hot classroom full or annoying scents that Ron was sure he was allergic to and listen to your teacher predict your ' supposedly ' upcoming death every single class. At least they had Herbology afterwards. Neville was glad at this too. It was his only good subject.

As Harry stood up to leave the Great Hall, something caught his glance at the Slytherin table. Pansy Parkinson no longer was the frilly pinkish girl he once thought her to be. Her medium length blonde hair was silky, and went down past her shoulders, and was slightly wavy around the ends. Her facial features were extrodinary, with her perfetc skin and deep blue eyes. Pansy was...pretty. Harry had never really noticed her before. She, to him, was just your average Slytherin snob set on making Hermione's life miserable and was obsessed with Draco. Draco was, however, annoyed with her most of the time.

Draco. Harry looked around for him, he wasn't with the other Slytherins, so, that left only one place. Harry looked back up at the staff table, and, sure enough, there was Draco, talking with the Snapes and then motioning for Salazar to follow him.

Oh well, Harry thought as he headed back to the Gryffindor common room, he would certainly find out what kind of a character this Salazar was in Potions tommorow morning.

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( Chapter Two will come soon )