Harry Potter and the Serpent's Son

Chapter Two:

It stood on a hill overlooking the village, some of it's windows boarded, tiles missing from it's roof, and ivy spreading over it's face. Once a fine looking manor, and easily the largest and grandest building for miles around, the Riddle House was now damp, derelict, and unoccupied. Or so it seemed.

Harry was unsure of how exactly he got there, but he knew where he was. This place, this very place, other than the graveyard, haunted his dreams. Every night, every single night since Cedric had died, he was brought here in his dreams. Most of the time he was only there for a while, he hadn't ventured inside the house even once. But this time...he sensed this time would be different.

A dim light flickered in one of the windows on the top floor. As if being called, he started to walk towards the house, unsure of what awaited him, what awaited the wizarding and Muggle worlds. Every dream was a true event. He had learnt this from Ron over the summer. In the middle of July, he had had a dream about five Ministry workers going missing, who appeared in another dream a week later in the Riddle House. Three had escaped right away, the other two questioned and tortured for reasons unknown to Harry before they were set free. Ron found out about this firsthand; his father was one of the three who escaped first. Percy had been tortured.

Harry approached the door with caution, nearly tripping over broken pieces of cement in the process. Looking up at the giant door, which was encrusted with large emeralds and was carved in many peculiar ways, he saw there was no handle. Highly disappointed for one moment before remembering that he wasn't really there and that he could do anything that he wanted, he went right through the door without looking back.

The first thing he noticed about the house was that it was pitch-black inside, which could only be expected, considering the time of night it was, except for a dimly lit room above him. He climbed the massive staircase breathing through his mouth so he wouldn't have to smell the awful smell that was threatening to make it's way up Harry's nose. After was seemed like an eternity, he was on the top floor. Walking through the marble-floored hallway to the room, he opened the door and stepped inside.

The scene before him seemed to be a Death Eater meeting with Lord Voldemort himself present. The Death Eaters stood in a half circle around Voldemort, who was seated in a chair in front of a fireplace, facing them. The air was tense, and Harry sensed a strong wave of rage coming from Voldemort. One man was kneeling, not moving, nor speaking at all, in front of Voldemort. Perhaps Harry was just imagining it, but he did not seem nervous. Not even when Voldemort began to speak.

Voldemort spoke in such a low whisper, that Harry could not hear him. After unsuccessful attempts to strain his ears and listen, he moved forward, right up in the circle of followers. Mentally smacking himself when Voldemort had finished speaking and he hadn't heard a word, he jumped in surprise, along with a few of the Death Eaters, when Voldemort suddenly screamed, " Crucio!"

The man on the floor did not scream. Voldemort appeared to have noticed this too, because he continued letting the curse on. Harry glanced around to the other Death Eaters, until his eyes stopped upon one. Harry felt strong surges of anger emitting themselves from the Death Eater. He was a lot shorter than the rest, most likely younger, and it was clearly visible that he did not want to be there. Harry moved towards him, stopping directly in front of the boy, trying to get a good look at his face, which was slowly becoming clear. Harry nearly jumped back as two grey eyes stared straight through him in pure rage. Draco Malfoy.

Voldemort let go of the curse. The Death Eaters appeared to have been dismissed, each one of them were now leaving through the door, to go out into the stormy night awaiting them. Draco was heading out the door also, but instead of heading down the stairs, he slid into a room down the hallway. Harry followed him.

A few candles were lit, producing enough light for the room to be fully lit itself. Two cloaked figures stood in what appeared to be an immensely large bathroom, bigger, but much similar looking to the prefect's bathroom at Hogwarts. Draco was accompanied by the man whom Voldemort was torturing before, who staggered around before steadying himself against the wall, pulling off his hood, breathing heavily and exhaustedly. Harry jumped in shock.

It was Professor Snape.

The lines of pain and tiredness stood out on his face clearly as Draco rushed to him before his body threatened to collapse onto the floor.

" Professor! Professor, are - are you alright?!" Draco exclaimed as he ran to the sink in search of a wet cloth.

" I'm fine, Draco." Snape said, sliding down the wall and sinking to the floor. Squeezing most of the water out of the cloth, Draco rushed over and wiped the sweat off of Snape's face.

" Draco..." Snape breathed, trying to form the words that wanted to come out of his mouth. " Draco, you shouldn't do this...it's too dangerous-"

" And follow in my father's footsteps? I bloody well think not," Draco said harshly, talking about his father as if he were the most disgusting thing on the planet. " I'd rather be a spy with you than be an evil bastard with him."

Snape smiled slightly at this, pushing Draco's hand away from his face as he attempted to sit up.

" Why do Slytherins have it so hard?" Draco exclaimed, pounding his fist against the wall in anger. " Everyone thinks that we're so evil, destined to follow the Dark Lord, no one gives us a chance to be who we really are. Why?! And Blaise and Pansy, there parents are so ruthless, both of them come to the school every summer with scars all over them! Argh!" Draco pounded the wall once more, sitting down next to his Professor as he buried his face in his hands. Harry just stared, open-mouthed.

" I cannot answer that, Draco. You and your friends aren't the only ones. There is a lot that we Slytherins conceal from the rest that make others suspicious of us. No one, not even Dumbledore knows that I had to stop your friend Blaise from jumping off the Astronomy Tower last winter..."

Draco stared in pure shock and horror, before lowering his head and muttering, " Oh Blaise...you stupid, stupid girl..."

Snape stood up suddenly, finally having recovered his strength, and helped a sobbing Draco up off the floor. " Come on, your father will be wondering where you are."

" I don't want to go back," Draco said firmly, his grey eyes shining in the candlelight. " Why can't I stay with you?"

Snape took a while before answering. " I'm sorry, Draco, but it can't work out that way-"

Harry's vision suddenly blurred, the dream having ended, and found him self drifting ever so slowly back to consciousness...

*

" Harry! Harry, wake up! We're going to be late for Potions!"

Harry was dimly aware of the annoyed voice coming from his bedside, as he struggled to open his eyes. Only did he realize that he was being called when he began to be slapped harshly across the face. He opened his eyes to see a blurry mixture of red above him, which soon cleared itself to become Ron.

" Wha?" Harry replied groggily. He felt like had hadn't gotten any sleep at all. With all his might, he sat up in his four - poster bed. It was going to be a long day.