Parselmouth and a Staff?

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling. I do not make a profit from this; I just borrow the characters to put into my take on a clichéd plot. Copyright infringement is not intended, and some of the details can be found in a copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone.

A/N: Here's the second chapter. I hope you enjoy it, please review.

Chapter 2

"Father!" Draco called. Harry saw a replica of his new friend turn around. The head of the Malfoy family had the signature platinum blonde hair. His hair was down to his shoulders, he had the same grey-blue eyes, the same pink lips, the same pale complexion, and he also had the same air of importance.

"Hello, Draco. Who is your friend?" the smooth and silky voice asked.

"Father, this is Harry Potter. Harry, this is my father, Lucius Malfoy."

Harry bowed his head. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." He remembered the manners that were beaten into him, courtesy of the Dursleys. The man dubbed Lucius gave a small, barely noticeable smile.

"Likewise, Mr. Potter. Draco, where is your mother?"

"I'm right here, dear," Narcissa said, entering the shop with Severus trailing behind her. "Draco, Harry, why don't you pick out your books so we can go look at the wands?" The two young wizards nodded before looking throughout the isles of books.

***

Harry placed his cauldron on the counter. Draco had just finished paying for everything, and now it was Harry's turn. The clerk spilled the contents of his cauldron over the countertop. His eyes, along with Harry's companions, widened. There were a LOT of books. Some on History, others on Transfiguration, lots on Defence against the Dark Arts, many on other subjects, but most were on Potions.

"I didn't know you liked Potions, Harry." Draco commented.

"Well, Potions is like cooking. I'm pretty good at cooking, so Potions can't be too hard. Besides, the topic itself seems interesting. Mixing all the ingredients together, and coming up with something."

Severus inwardly smiled. At least Harry wouldn't be another dunderhead he'd have to teach. Lucius was impressed by how many books the boy had taken. It seemed like he was genuinely interested in learning about the world his parents used to live in. He'd love to be nice to the boy, but as a spy he couldn't compromise his position. Just like Severus. Plus, the boy would no doubt become yet another Gryffindor. Pity, his potential would be wasted.

"Harry, why'd you choose this book? It's not in English," Draco said, holding up a leather book. He was right; the words were in different characters from some unknown language.

"What're you talking about? It says right here, The Diary of Salazar Slytherin." The Malfoys eyes widened, as did Snape's. What Harry didn't know was that he had spoken Parseltongue at the end of the sentence.

"Sweet Merlin, you're a Parselmouth!" Draco whispered.

Harry frowned. "Parkel-what-uh?"

"Parselmouth." Draco corrected, looking at Harry in something akin to awe.

"What's that?"

"It means you could talk to snakes."

"Oh. I know that. But, can't a lot of people around here do it?"

"No. That was a gift given to Salazar Slytherin. He is the founder of the Slytherin house, obviously, and only an heir can speak it."

"That's nice. I really don't care, though."

Draco gaped. "What? You don't care? Why not?"

"I'm already recognised as the hero of this world for something that happened when I was a baby and nobody has witnessed. I truly don't need anymore attention by being a founder's heir, thank you very much."

Narcissa leaned forward and picked Draco's jaw from the floor.

"You'll catch flies if you continue to do that, dear," she stated.

"That'll be 28 Galleons, please," the clerk stated cheerfully. Harry paid, and Severus shrunk his books.

"Now, can we get our wands?" Draco asked, barely containing his excitement. When his parents nodded their heads, he grinned and nearly dragged Harry to another shop again.

***

"Hello, Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy. I must say, you nearly gave me a heart attack when you waltzed in here. No Potter or Malfoy has ever been seen with each other on friendly terms. Well done, well done," Ollivander murmured. "Come, Mr. Malfoy, we shall find your wand first."

Draco must have tried half a dozen wands before he found the right one: beechwood and dragon heartstring. It cost six Galleons.

"Mum, Dad, did you see what happened?" Draco asked his parents as they came in the shop.

"No, I'm sorry, dear. Would you like to show us again?" Narcissa asked. Draco grinned and swung his wand. Green and silver sparks flew out the tip. "Nicely done, Dragon."

"Mr. Potter, lets have a go, shall we?" Ollivander asked. He passed Harry a wand, and just as he was about to touch it, the wand exploded into little shards.

"What the hell?" Draco cried out, earning a reprimand for his language (which he ignored momentarily).

"Mr. Ollivander, what does that mean?" Harry asked, surprised that the wand reacted so violently. Maybe the wands could tell that he didn't deserve a wand. Ollivander grinned.

"It means, Mr. Potter, that you are not destined for a wand. In fact, I think a staff might do you better. Oh, how joyful! I never thought I'd live to see the day I got to make a staff. People are so magically weakened that their cores aren't strong enough for the staff. You see a staff and its wizard make a connection. You make the staff using materials that best suit you. The way you'll know what materials suit you is that you call them to you. It should give you a warm sensation. With me so far?" Ollivander babbled. Harry nodded his head.

"But why did it blow up? I thought it'd just feel like plain wood."

"It blew up because your magical core was much too strong for the wand. Now come along, Mr. Potter. We must choose the materials for your staff." Ollivander grabbed Harry and pushed him towards a backdoor.

"What about us?" Draco asked as the two wizards left the room. "I don't suppose he'd mind if we watched?" Narcissa shrugged before strolling to the doorway. The others followed her.

***

"Okay, Mr. Potter, I'd like you to place your hands on that flat object. Now, close your eyes and imagine taking back a part of you that feels missing." Harry did that and you could hear whooshing sounds. When he opened his eyes, he saw several materials.

"Maple, beechwood, cherry, oak, unicorn hair, and two wands. Let's see. We have a holly wand with phoenix feather and we have a wand made from the bark of the Whomping Willow with a basilisk's tooth soaked in its blood and poison. I must say, Mr. Potter, you'll be destined for great things with this," Ollivander muttered under his breath. He looked up at Harry and smiled. "Unfortunately, I cannot finish this staff today. Perhaps if you come in three days, it'll be ready."

Harry nodded. He turned to exit when he saw the doorway was blocked by four very shocked people.

"Um, hi?"

***

"I still can't believe you have a staff! Nobody has had one since Merlin." Draco whispered. The group was currently in an ice cream parlour. "So, Harry, what flavour do you like?"

"I don't know. I've never had ice cream." Harry bent down to look at the choices.

"What!? First you don't know about our world, and now you've never had ice cream? What's the deal with your Muggle relatives anyhow?"

"Nothing. They just didn't like me much," Harry whispered.

Draco frowned before sighing. "I recommend you taste the cookies n' cream. It's very good. That or vanilla. I think those are the best! Oh, and don't forget about chocolate," Draco exclaimed, looking at the frozen treats with a predatory glint in his eye. Narcissa chuckled at her son's love for ice cream. You probably wouldn't believe it, but he got that from Lucius. Narcissa preferred fruit to ice cream any day.

"Draco, Harry have you decided what you're going to have?"

"Yes, Mum, I want the double chunky chocolate mint, and Harry said he wanted to try it. Should we split it? In case Harry doesn't like it so we can get him something else?"

"Of course, Dragon. Excuse me, sir; we'd like a double chunky chocolate mint, a root beer shake, a banana split, and just one scoop of Strawberry ice cream." Narcissa told the man behind the counter. He nodded and left to get the orders. When the ice cream arrived, Draco gave Harry a taste. The shorter boy's eyes widened.

"It's good, right? You can share with me!" They both ate the ice cream together while the adults talked. They couldn't hear anything since they had erected a silence bubble around them.

***

"Are you sure, Severus?" Narcissa asked.

"Yes. For Merlin's sake, they kept the boy locked in a cupboard. Not only that, they practically brainwashed him. Feeding him lies on how his parents were drunk, how magic didn't exist and how he was worthless." Severus drank his root beer shake, wishing it were fire whiskey instead.

"That doesn't make sense. Why would Dumbledore put Harry in an abusive household?"

"They're his only living relatives. In order for the blood protection wards to work, he had to be with them. And maybe he didn't know that the abuse was physical," Lucius said. He may not agree with all of Dumbledore's viewpoints, but the man was the leader of the light. Even he made mistakes.

"The poor boy; he only looks seven and is severely malnourished. You make sure he eats, you understand, Severus?" Narcissa commanded, pointing her spoon at him in what was supposed to be a threatening manner.

"Yes, mother. Would you like me to do anything else, hm?" Severus asked sarcastically.

Narcissa mock-glared at him, before brightening up. "I have an idea! Since Draco and Harry have grown so close to each other, why doesn't Harry stay at the manor? Please, Lucius!"

Lucius gave a small smirk. "Well, it's not like he has anywhere else to go."

***

Harry and Draco just finished their ice cream when the adults came out of their bubble.

"Harry, would you like to stay with us for the rest of the summer?" Narcissa asked, smiling brightly. She always got her way.

Harry looked shocked. "You mean I won't have to go back to the Dursleys?" he asked hopefully.

"No, you don't." Severus hissed angrily, causing Harry to shrink back. Even though he tried to avert his eyes, they always looked at the man's hands. As if he was expecting them to strike him. Severus took a deep breath and calmed down. "No, you will not have to go back to the Dursleys." Not if I can help it... he added silently.

"Then, yes, I'd like to see your manor." Harry mumbled politely, his head down to hide his blushing face. This was the first time somebody had willingly invited him somewhere. Draco's face broke into a wide smile.

"Harry, you're going to love it. Come on, get up! We're going to leave right now, aren't we, Father?" The blonde boy turned his head to his father, using the most adorable puppy eyes he could muster. Lucius gave in immediately.

"Of course. We'll leave right now."

***

Travel by Floo was not necessarily thrilling to Harry. Not like the cart ride at Gringotts was. Harry looked at his surroundings in amazement. The manor was gorgeous. It was huge with paintings all over the walls. The stairs were marble, and all the other rooms Draco showed him looked simply magnificent.

"This is your room." Draco announced. Harry looked inside and gasped.

"A-are you sure this is my room?"

The room was beautiful. There was a large king sized canopy bed with curtains over it. The sheets were satin, and a nice shade of blue. The walls and carpet were a cream colour. There was a dresser, desk, bookshelf, chair and walk-in closet. There was even a bathroom!

"Of course this is your room. Who else would stay here?"

Harry gave a small smile. Before Draco knew it, he was hugged by the smaller boy.

"Nobody's ever done a kind thing for me. Thank you so much."

The youngest Malfoy looked shocked, before hugging Harry back. "Well, get used to it," Draco exclaimed, blushing a bit.

They didn't notice Narcissa at the doorway, smiling a bit. Harry was totally adorable, and Draco's actions were cute.

'I hope house rivalries don't pull them apart...' she thought before leaving downstairs.

***

"Boys! Dinner is ready!" Narcissa called from downstairs. Harry and Draco put the books they were reading down and raced down the stairs. Having ice cream for lunch wasn't a good idea, and they were famished.

"I win!" they said in unison as they sat in their chairs. There was a pot roast, mashed potatoes, corn, biscuits and salad. Harry heard a pop and turned around to see a thing. It had floppy ears, big eyes, a long nose, and wore a pillow case. Harry squealed and ran to hide behind Narcissa.

"What is that thing?" he asked, his green eyes huge. Draco looked at the creature before turning to Harry.

"That's Twitchy the house elf."

"Why is it wearing a dirty pillow case?"

"House elves wear them to show they serve a wizarding family. It can only be free if its master gives it clothes," Lucius explained, causing Harry to frown.

"That's not fair! Why does it have to serve you? Because it isn't human? How would you feel if you had to serve someone?"

"But, Harry, they like serving a family. Unless the family mistreats them, which isn't a case here," Draco added.

"Still, can't you give them a nicer, cleaner pillow case? How about one with the Malfoy crest on it?"

Lucius looked thoughtful, before nodding his head. That was a good idea. The elf watched the scene and her eyes widened.

"Twitchy has come to tell Master Malfoy that desert is ready for when you finish." The elf bowed lowly before popping away. Dinner was enjoyable.

"Boys, what have you been doing upstairs?" Narcissa asked, chewing her Granny Smith apple.

"We've been reading some of the books we got at Diagon Alley," Draco answered. Harry was too busy admiring his first piece of cake.

"That's good. Well, boys, it's getting late. I want you both to get to bed," Narcissa told them.

Harry, now finished with the most delicious thing he had ever tasted, nodded. He was sleepy anyway.

***

Harry yawned and stretched. He had just gotten out of the shower, and his hair was slightly wet. Harry had on a pair of silk shorts and a silk shirt, in green of course. Yawning again, Harry went to the bed and tried to climb on. Keyword: tried. The bed was too large for him to climb on. His face scrunched up. Harry really wanted to get on top of that big bed and go to sleep. Within seconds, he was wrapped in the covers. Too tired to question how it happened, Harry went to sleep.

Harry whimpered. He had that strange dream. The one with the man in all black. But, he didn't know anybody that dressed in all black, and neither did the lady that smelled nice. What was her name again? Mama? A woman with fiery red hair and green eyes came into the room and looked at him. That was her! She smiled and cooed at him.

"Aw, Harry, did you have a bad dream? It's okay, Mummy's here." She rocked him back and forth.

"Lily, what happened?" a drowsy voice from the doorway asked. There was the man known as Papa, whatever that means. He had raven hair and hazel eyes.

"It's nothing, James. Harry just had a nightmare." James was wide awake in a few moments. He grabbed Harry from her and looked at his son.

"Did my little champ have a bad dream? You want me to beat up some monsters under the bed? Or are they in the closet?" James gave the closet a suspicious look. He steadily opened it and turned on the light. "Voila! Nothing there. Is it under the bed?"

Lily laughed. "You're going to get him active," she warned.

James paid her no mind as he and Harry got down to the floor and searched. "This is a tricky monster. Maybe he left?" He put Harry down and went to turn around when he slipped on a toy. Harry looked at his papa and giggled, clapping his hands.

"Oh, James, look what you've done!" Lily reprimanded, although you could see the twinkle in her eye. Now that all three were wide awake, they went downstairs for some warm milk. Lily just finished making it when the door burst down. James paled.

"Lily, its Voldemort. Take Harry and run. Go!" he commanded.

"But, I can fight with you," Lily protested although she was half way up the stairs.

"No. I'll do this alone. Go!" James ducked a curse and shot a couple of his own. Lily ran to the nursery and locked herself in there with Harry. The youngest Potter whimpered. This was what happened in his dream. The nursery door blew off its hinges, and the man in black was standing in its place. Lily got in front of Harry.

"I won't let you hurt him."

Voldemort laughed coldly. "If you don't stand aside, foolish girl, you will join your dead husband."

"No. You can't have my son!" Lily yelled, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Stand aside!"

"No!"

"Avada Kedavra!" There was a flash of green light and Lily crumpled to the floor, dead. "This is the child that is supposed to kill me? How pathetic. Don't cry, child, you'll be joining your parents soon."

Voldemort yelled out the Killing Curse again, but something unusual happened. As soon as the spell hit Harry, he began to glow white. The curse backfired, causing Voldemort to scream in pain as his soul was forcibly ripped from his body. Harry received a lightning bolt shaped cut on his forehead. Still whimpering, Harry curled up next to the warm, lifeless body of his mum. There was a flash of light, and James appeared there. The three Potters looked asleep, and stood there as the house began to fall.

Harry woke up in a cold sweat. Why did he continue to have that dream? Trembling, Harry tried to hold back his tears. That was the second rule of the Dursley household... don't cry! The first was... don't ask questions! Harry really wanted to go to Draco's room right now. Like before, Harry just suddenly appeared on the bed. This time, though, he was in Draco's room, and the other boy was right next to him.

"Draco?" Harry whispered, poking the blonde in the arm.

Draco grumbled and opened his eyes slightly. "Harry? What ish it?" he slurred, drunk with sleep.

"I had a nightmare."

"Thash no problem. Shtay with me." Not giving Harry the chance, Draco pulled the smaller boy under the covers. "Go to shleep." Harry curled up to Draco for protection, and fell asleep. That was how Narcissa found them in the morning.

A/N: Another glorious chapter done! Yay, me! Constructive criticism is appreciated. ^_^