A companion and new friends

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.

Beta: Indie

Warnings: spoilers for the first book, mention of child abuse, OOC-ness, Slytherin!Harry, AU, fluff, Nice!Slytherins, cursing, etc.

A/N: Here's the third chapter. Hope you like it.

Chapter 3

"Morning, boys," Lucius said behind his copy of the Daily Prophet as the two boys sat down for breakfast.

"Morning, Father." Draco yawned and began piling his plate with pancakes.

"Morning, Mr. Malfoy," Harry murmured, trying to rub out the sleep in his eyes.

"Did you have a nice night?" Narcissa asked.

"It was good, but Harry had a nightmare so he crawled into bed with me."

"Oh? And what was the nightmare about, Harry?" Narcissa questioned, a worried look on her face.

Harry blushed. "Nothing; I've just always had this dream of my parents dying. It's no big deal."

Draco paled. "What do you mean 'It's no big deal'? If I saw my parents' deaths, I'd go crazy." The blonde boy shuddered before returning to his breakfast, giving Harry occasional glances of worry.

"Let's not talk about this. Draco, are you going to show Harry how to fly?" Narcissa asked.

Draco brightened. "That's right! I forgot you grew up in the Muggle world. When we've finished eating, I'll show you how to fly and play Quidditch. It's a pity that we can't use magic."

"Why can't we?"

"Well, first years aren't allowed to use magic. There's a law about underage magic."

"How can they tell if somebody does use magic?" Harry asked curiously.

"The Ministry has detection spells on all the wands. Those spells are lifted once the witch or wizard turns 17," Lucius cut in.

"That's all they can detect? Just wand magic? What about the magic without a wand? Can they detect that?"

Draco laughed. "Nobody can do magic without a wand! It's impossible."

"But, I did magic last night. It was weird though. The bed was too high for me to climb, and I was so tired that I sort of... wished... myself on top of the bed. The same when I had the nightmare and went to Draco's room," Harry explained. Judging by the looks on the Malfoys' faces, that wasn't normal.

'They'll probably kick me out now. Way to go, Harry; you just ruined whatever chance you had at somebody liking you. Freak!' Harry mentally berated himself.

"I don't know how many more shocks I can take. First we find out you're a Parselmouth, then we find out you need a staff and now we find out you can Apparate. What next?" Draco muttered, licking syrup off his lips.

"What does Apparate mean?"

"It's a form of transportation," Lucius said, not going into detail.

Harry nodded and took a small bite of his pancake. He finished and pushed his plate aside. It was only a matter of time before the only people who were willingly nice to him decided he was too much of a freak.

"Ready, Harry? I'll just get the brooms." Draco also pushed aside his plate and ran up the stairs to get the brooms.

Harry turned to Lucius. "When do I pack my things, sir?" he mumbled.

Narcissa looked at him in surprise. "What are you talking about, dear?" she asked, slightly worried that he wanted to leave.

"Aren't you going to kick me out? Tell me how much of a freak I am?"

"No, Harry! Why would you think that?"

Harry's eyes welled with tears. "W-well, its n-not normal... sob... to d-do magic without a w-wand. I'm a freak." The young boy tried desperately to keep in his tears, but he wasn't succeeding. His small frame shook with small sobs, and he hugged himself for comfort. Narcissa put aside her fury for the Muggles that made him this way before offering the boy her comfort. Harry, never willingly hugged by a woman, froze.

"I agree, Harry, it's not normal. But, that doesn't mean you're a freak. It just means you're special. A very special boy," she cooed, rubbing small circles on his back. Harry's sobs subsided to hiccups and he pulled away, blushing and wiping the remnants of his tears.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, Harry. Everybody needs comfort every once in a while."

Draco chose that moment to come into the room. "You ready, Harry?" the blonde asked.

"Yup. Let's go."

***

"Father, Harry is a natural! He flew in the air as if he's been flying for years! And you know what else? He was not only able to call his broom into his hand the first time, but he was also able to do it without saying anything!" Draco exclaimed, excitement on his features. The boy they were talking about was in his room, sleeping.

"That's excellent, Draco; I'm sure he had a good teacher," Lucius said, causing Draco's cheeks to turn pink from the praise.

"Nah, he was good on his own. I didn't even have to instruct him on anything." Draco hesitated slightly. "Father, I think there's something wrong with Harry. I mean, he is REALLY short. And last night, he told me that nobody had ever done anything nice to him. Just how mean are the Muggles?"

Lucius sighed. Draco was sometimes a little too smart for his own good.

"It's nothing you should worry about, Draco. Your mother, Severus, and I are handling it. OK?"

Draco wasn't really satisfied with the answer but knew that his father wouldn't tell him anything more.

"Fine. I'll go check on Harry." Draco left.

***

Three days had passed in a blur. At least it felt like that for Harry. He was having a lot of fun playing with Draco. They flew on their brooms, read their books, and even practiced a little bit of magic. Every time he practiced without a wand or staff, Harry felt a little drained. He was, however, getting better.

"Harry, we're going to pick up your staff today, OK?" Narcissa asked.

Harry smiled. "Yeah. That's cool!" He began eating the scrambled eggs. Ever since he came here, his appetite had increased. It was only by a little, but it was progress nevertheless. When they were finished eating, they Floo-ed to the Leaky Cauldron. Entering Diagon Alley, Harry and Draco immediately ran to Ollivander's.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy, lovely to see you again. Give me a moment, and I will retrieve your staff," Ollivander said before leaving to the back room.

He came back with the staff. It looked gorgeous. The wood was shiny and gleamed in the light. The staff, standing at five feet tall, practically radiated with power. Ollivander handed it to Harry. As the small boy took it, Lucius and Narcissa walked in just in time. Green and silver sparks shot through the air, forming a silver phoenix with a green basilisk wrapped around it. The image stayed for a while before disappearing into nothing.

"That was awesome," Draco whispered; he had never seen that before.

Narcissa smiled warmly at Harry. "How is it, dear?" she asked, and Harry smiled.

"It feels warm and tingly. I don't know how to explain it really." Narcissa nodded before turning to Ollivander.

"How exactly is he supposed to perform magic? Hogwarts only teaches wand movements."

Ollivander smiled. "He needs no wand movements. All Mr. Potter needs to do is tap his staff on the ground and concentrate really hard on what spell he wishes to do. I have a book left by my ancestor that is passed on from generation to generation; in case somebody shall require a staff, it'll explain how to use it." The wizard once again left for the back, but when he returned he carried a thick book. "You may keep this copy, Mr. Potter. I have another one in my vault."

"How much do I owe you?" Harry reached into his pockets to get the gold coins.

"No, Mr. Potter I cannot ask you to pay me for this."

"But I insist. How much?" Harry gave the man a determined look, showing him that he wasn't going to back down any time soon.

"Three Galleons."

The small boy smiled and handed over the money. "Thank you!" He was about to leave when he stopped. "Sir, I was wondering, is there any way we can hide the fact that I have a staff? Professor Snape had told me about my victory over Voldemort, and how some Death Eaters didn't like that too much. What would happen if they caught news that I have a staff?"

Ollivander gave a small, sad smile. "I'm truly sorry, Mr. Potter. There is no way a staff can be transfigured into something else without either breaking it or damaging it in any way."

Harry nodded, and he left the store with the Malfoys.

'Nothing legal anyways...' Ollivander thought.

***

"Father, Mother, can I have a pet?" Draco asked as they passed Magical Menagerie. Harry had spotted another store: Eeylops Owl Emporium. Why bother getting an owl if nobody would ever send him mail?

"Of course, my Dragon. And what about you, Harry? Would you like a pet?" Narcissa asked.

Harry turned pink. "I can buy it myself," he mumbled.

"Nonsense. We'll buy it for you." Narcissa was just as stubborn as Harry.

"OK." Harry really didn't want to argue with her when she was so kind to him.

They walked into the pet shop and started to look around. The shop had the stench of a Muggle pet shop, although it wasn't as bad. On the left side were regular pets like a cat or a dog. On the right side were your magical pets like kneazles. Harry spotted snakes and immediately went to talk to them. Perhaps he could have a pet he could talk to.

"Another human. I swear if this one touches me, I'll bite off his fingers," a snake in the back hissed, drawing out the 'S'. There were hisses of agreement.

"That's not nice," Harry chastised. He said it really low, so as not to draw attention to himself. The snakes looked at him in surprise.

"You speak?" one hissed.

He nodded his head. "I'm looking for a companion. Are any of you interested?"

One snake slithered towards Harry. "I can be of some assistance. My name is Largo. I am a Slynder. My kind are magical; we can live as long as a basilisk but we're not as poisonous. We can also change our size to defend our master," he said.

The snake was about a foot long and a half an inch thick. His scales were nearly all black. The tip of its head and tail were green.

"Thank you. My name is Harry Potter." Harry lifted the snake out of the tank, and Largo slithered up his arm, causing the boy to giggle. "Mrs. Malfoy, I have my pet."

The blonde woman turned toward Harry. "Where is it?"

Largo popped his head out of Harry's sleeve, and Narcissa staggered back slightly in surprise.

"His name is Largo; he's a Slynder."

Draco looked at the snake and smirked. "Of course you'd get a pet you could talk to!" Despite the fact that he was happy for his friend, Draco couldn't help but feel jealous that Harry had this awesome gift.

"What did you choose, Draco?" Harry saw the look of jealousy in Draco's eyes and was reminded strongly of Dudley. The blonde boy smiled and showed Harry a kneazle. Lucius paid for the pets, and the small group left the shop.

***

The rest of the summer went by quickly. Harry and Draco read a lot of their books and spent their time flying. Lucius started to teach Harry Wizarding pureblood customs with Narcissa and Draco helping. Not only that, Severus had stopped by and showed Harry the fine art of Potion making. The young boy had enjoyed that immensely. He remembered his very first lesson.

"Now, Mr. Potter, I shall test you in the art of Potion making. Perhaps you won't be as much of a dunderhead like my other students. Have you read any books?" Severus asked Harry, who gave his undivided attention. Draco was on the other side of the room, already working on a Potion.

"Yes, sir, I've read a couple."

"Good. Now, this potion will cure boils. The instructions are right here. Let's see if you pass this test."

Harry nodded and looked at the parchment that had the instructions written down; he really wanted to prove himself to Severus. He did exactly what the instructions said. He weighed the dried nettles and crushed the snake fangs. Harry added in the horned slugs, stirring six times clockwise and four times counter-clockwise. He was about to put in the porcupine quills when he read over the instructions again. He was supposed to add the porcupine quills after he took the cauldron off the fire. Harry did just that and completed his potion. Snape looked over it, inspecting everything from its thickness to its colour.

"Well done, Mr. Potter. Now, I have to get you up to Draco's level."

Harry beamed at the small praise, and Severus felt his gut clench in a painful and unfamiliar way. Who knew this tiny amount of affection could please the boy so much? While he was calm and collected outside, inside a war was raging. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't squash the pity and sympathy coursing through him.

Now, Harry and Draco were at King's Cross Station and saying their good-byes to Lucius and Narcissa. Many people gave Harry weird looks for having the staff with him.

"Both of you will behave, do you understand me?" Narcissa said, making sure the two boys looked good. Lucius busied himself with levitating the trunks onto the train.

"Yes, Mum."

"Yes, Mrs. Malfoy."

Narcissa sighed; no matter how hard she tried to make Harry call her and Lucius by their first names, he still called them by their respectful titles.

"Good. We expect you both back for Christmas holidays, okay?" The two boys nodded in agreement, and Narcissa gave them each a kiss on their forehead. Lucius merely gave a tiny smile and a nod of acknowledgement. The train would leave in two minutes.

"C'mon, Harry, we have to get a compartment," Draco whined.

Harry rolled his eyes before following the blonde boy. They found an empty compartment all the way near the back. Draco pulled out his book and read as the train took off while Harry talked to Largos, who was wrapped in around his torso inside his shirt. Harry was so nervous. What if the Headmaster decided he didn't want Harry at Hogwarts? This went on for nearly a half an hour when the door slid open, and Harry stopped talking to Largos.

"Draco, is that you?" somebody asked. It was a boy with an Italian accent. He was slightly dark, had black shabby hair, a pointed nose, and brown eyes.

"Of course it's me! Harry, I'd like you to meet one of my childhood friends, Blaise Zabini. Blaise, this is Harry Potter."

Blaise's eyes widened momentarily as he saw the staff before a smirk found its way on his face. "Pleasure to meet you, Harry," he said as he held out his hand.

Harry grabbed it in a surprisingly strong grip, and they shook. "Likewise."

Blaise sat down next to Draco.

"Have you seen Crabbe and Goyle? I thought they were supposed to be with you at all times," he said with a slight sneer.

"They should be here." As if on cue, the door slid open again. This time, however, three people stepped in: two boys and one girl. "Harry, this is Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle and Pansy Parkinson. Guys, this is Harry Potter."

Crabbe was big and chunky. He had a flat nose, short black hair, a chubby face and wide hazel eyes. He looked like a skinnier version of Dudley.

Goyle was similar to Crabbe. He was chunky but tall and had a long nose, fat cheeks, black hair only slightly longer than Crabbe's and brown eyes.

Pansy had straight black hair down to her chin. She had a pug nose, thin lips, a frame not unlike Harry's and nearly black eyes.

"A Potter? Odd." Pansy commented like many others had before her. Thankfully nobody had commented on his height. Harry felt a little left out as the old friends talked and laughed. He took out a book and read until the trolley came.

"Anything off the trolley, dears?" the woman asked, reminding him of Madam Malkin. Harry had never had any Wizarding candy and got a little of each. As soon as the witch left, another girl came in. She was kind of chunky, with frizzy brown hair down to her mid back and hazel eyes.

"I heard Harry Potter was on the train," the girl said pompously.

"Really? Good for you!" Pansy said sarcastically. She knew who this girl was: Millicent Bulstrode. How unfortunate she was forced to grow up with the whiny, annoying, arrogant twit.

"I wasn't talking to you now was I, Puggy Pansy?" Bulstrode sneered.

"If I were you, I'd watch how you talked to my friends," Draco warned.

"Or what? You'll tell your daddy?" The girl spotted Harry holding his staff. "Well, if it isn't the famous Harry Potter. Why are you hanging out with these losers? Why don't you hang out with me, someone who could get you power?" She extended her hand, not noticing the smaller boy's grip on his staff tighten.

"If you want to see a real loser, I suggest looking in a mirror. That is, if it doesn't break. As you can see, I have a staff. Why would I need your offer of power when I have so much of my own?" he retorted.

Bulstrode turned red from embarrassment and rage. "I'd watch it if I were you, Potter. Wouldn't want to end up like your parents, would you?"

Harry, furious at the low blow to his parents, slammed his staff into the ground. Within seconds, Bulstrode flew out of the compartment, which was then locked. Harry had unintentionally done this; he was so furious that he relied on instinct. Now feeling a little drained, Harry began to close his eyes to try to relax. Before he realized it, he was fast asleep.

"Draco, what just happened?" Pansy whispered so she wouldn't wake Harry up.

"Harry's core is too big for a wand so he needs a staff. I think when Bulstrode made that comment about his parents, he just reacted. Don't worry, though. All he needs is a little rest and he'll be fine." Draco replied.

***

"Harry, wake up! The train will be arriving soon, and you have to change into uniform," Draco said, gently shaking the sleeping boy awake. He, along with the others in the compartment, had already changed.

Harry yawned, arching his back before drowsily opening his eyes. He nodded his head to show Draco he had heard him before going to change in the bathroom. The blonde watched Harry leave to change and shook his head. Harry never changed in front of anybody. The small boy returned in his robes, and Pansy squealed with delight.

"Oh my god, you look so adorable!" she exclaimed, pinching him on the cheek. Harry turned red before giving a small, shy smile.

"We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train; it will be taken to school separately," a voice said over some sort of intercom. Harry's gut tightened, and he bit his lip while trying to massage his sweaty palms. The others took notice of his nervousness but said nothing. They walked out of the compartment (with Harry using his staff as a walking stick) and squeezed their way through the kids filling the corridors.

"Firs' years! Firs' years, over here!" a tall man bellowed. Harry took one look at him and decided he couldn't be completely human. He looked about 6'5" tall with a black hair and a black beard. For some reason, the voice sounded a little bit familiar. The first years were led down a path until they came across a lake. "No more'n four to a boat!"

Pansy left to sit with other witches while Draco, Harry, Crabbe and Goyle occupied one boat. At the man's command of 'FORWARD', the boats began to move, and Harry saw Hogwarts for the first time. The castle was beautiful, and no picture could do it justice. The boats led the first years underneath Hogwarts and, after another path, they were standing in front of a huge door. The half-man banged his meaty fist against this door, making Harry flinch slightly as a few unwanted memories flashed through his mind. As soon as he stopped knocking, the door opened to reveal a stern-looking witch dressed in emerald-green robes, her black hair pulled back in a tight bun.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," the half-man said.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I can take them now," the witch replied.

The half-man, now known as Hagrid, nodded his head. Professor McGonagall led them to the entrance hall of the castles.

"Welcome to your first year at Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin momentarily after all of you have been sorted. There are four houses: Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Slytherin. While you're here, your house will be your family. You will sleep in your house dorms, have classes with your house mates and spend your time in your house common room. While your triumphs will earn you points, rule-breaking will lose you points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will be awarded the house cup, which is a great honour.

"Now, the Sorting Ceremony will begin shortly. Good luck to whatever house you're in. Please wait quietly; I will return when we're ready for you," Professor McGonagall said before leaving, her eyes lingering on Harry and his staff.

"How do you suppose we get chosen for houses?" a girl with bushy brown hair and buck teeth asked.

"My brother told me we had to wrestle a troll," a tall and gangly boy with red hair, blue eyes, and freckles said. Draco snorted. The boy turned to glare at him. "Do you know how we're going to get sorted?"

"No, but having to wrestle a troll is extreme don't you think?"

The boy turned red. "So! What's your name anyways?"

"Draco Malfoy."

"I know about you! My dad said your father worked for You-Know-Who!" the red head accused, and Draco flushed red.

"His name is Voldemort; I suggest you use it," Harry said. "And those accusations against Lucius Malfoy are just that: accusations." Harry said.

"My father also told me about you. Red hair, hand-me-down robes, freckles. You must be a Weasley," Draco spat.

"Ron, don't fight! You'll get into trouble!" the bushy haired girl stated.

Ron, however, sneered at Harry. "And who are you? Aren't you a little short to be coming here? And what's with the stick?"

"My name is Harry Potter, and this is a staff, you moron!" Harry glared at the carrot-top. He was being such a jerk. Ron's face turned from anger to disbelief. He was going to say something when a shriek brought caught everybody's attention. There were about twenty ghosts coming through a wall. Two of them looked like they were arguing before one of them seemed to notice the first years.

"New students! I say, you must not have been sorted yet. I hope you go in Hufflepuff; it was my old house," the ghost said. Most people were frozen.

"Move along, now. The Sorting Ceremony is about to start." Professor McGonagall's stern voice rang through the air. The ghosts took their leave, and the Professor turned towards the still frightened first years. "We are ready for you." And then she opened the doors to the Great Hall, leading the new students towards a... ratty old hat?

A/N: Wow, this chapter is nice and long. Hope you liked it. The term 'Slynder' does not exist (at least to my knowledge). I made up the term, and it's just a weaker form of the basilisk. It does not have the death stare, and it's not as poisonous. It can, however, change its size, and it can live for long periods of time. The youngest one that died was 100 years old. ^_^