Familiar

A/N…Hey guys this is an important note. I’ve mentioned before that this is not HBP compatible and it isn’t. So Ron and Hermione don’t know about the prophecy, yet. (This’l matter later)

Other points that haven’t needed addressing before…

• Harry never got goin with Ginny and she’s still dating Dean Thomas, k?
• Blaise never appeared in the books until HBP baring his sorting in book 1. I knew he’d be important but I don’t like his character in book 6, so he’ll be totally different. But he’ll still be a snake.
• Bill n Fleur are still getting married. But Fleurs not stayin at the burrow.
• I don’t know whether I’ll bring the horcruxes into it. But I seriously doubt it. It’s a good idea, but its JKs idea and I wanna use my own ending. I think I’ve got a real good one.
• Harry’s taking potions because Dumbledore made Snape lower the grade to get into the NEWTS class. Threatened to fire him as a matter of fact. So Snape had no choice, the excuse given was that not enough students got an O grade, so to make up a class size worth teaching he had to let the Es in too. Which also means Ron’s taking potions too.
• So to clarify Sirius is dead, Dumbledore aint, he’s still a manipulative old sod but he’s alive. Which means Snape didn’t have to kill him and run off with Draco to Voldie. No unbreakable vow and it isn’t gonna happen, so don’t be looking for it.

I think that’s all the important things, if I think a owt else I’ll put em in another chapter.


Thank you as always to all my darling reviewers…

Lady Lynn…I’m glad you’re still reading. You’ll find out who recognises him in this chapter, it may surprise you.
Angelkitty…A work of art, you definitely make me blush! ^_^ All your ideas are brill, but I’m not gonna tell you if your right or not. Harry will begin changing soon and he’ll never be alone…he has Krai.
HentaiZaru…Draco’s reply is the chapter after next.
Thrnbrooke…Yes Draco would be pissed off, but who says he has to find out. Sneaky snakes are cunning, they know how to cover their tracks.

And to everyone else who reviewed…


Chapter 10: Diagon Alley…again!


Diagon Alley was busier than he thought it would be on a weekday. Surprisingly it was only 3 o clock. He had already been shopping in Muggle London, he’d flooed to Diagon earlier, got quite a bit of money out and changed half of it into muggle currency. He’d bought a wide variety of muggle clothing. He had changed in the shop and thrown ‘his’ old clothes in the rubbish bin outside. After all he wanted to look his best.

He was now wearing tight black jeans, artfully greyed in places with a silver stitching in the seams…very slytherin, very cool. He was wearing black boots and a grey t-shirt with a black dragon pattern draped over the shoulder and around the neck. He had an old fashioned army dress coat…again in black. It had those high reversed cuffs and a stand up collar. It had emerald green buttons and stitching. Again, very slytherin. He’d left his hair down to flow down his back and when he walked it swayed from side to side and when a breeze came it wrapped around his body tightly in a caress. Krai was also wrapped around his shoulders, he was under the coat where he could be warm.

Harry had never been a vain person, or cared bout his appearance. Of course that was mainly because for most of his life he had had no say in the matter, the only time he had ever done anything was when Aunt Petunia had cut his hair off and his magic had helped it grow back over night. But he could say with confidence that today he looked good. And he didn’t feel awkward or insecure, like he always thought he would. No today he felt like he was finally how he wanted to be.

He had thought about getting his hair cut but when he’d mentioned this to the store assistant who was helping him, the girls mouth had fallen open in shock. She’d also told him he was out of his mind. So he was keeping it long.


It seemed that almost all of the Hogwarts seventh years were here today.


He saw Blaise Zabini outside Quality Quidditch Supplies, who looked him up and down and winked…
“Hey Potter.”
Harry just smiled he was used to Blaise’s behaviour, he was a tease and surprisingly fun to hang out with. Not that anyone was to know that.
“See you at Hogwarts.” He replied.
“Can’t wait.” The slytherin smirked.
He walked off a little bit happier with himself. Blaise had recognised him.

You like that boy. It wasn’t a question.

Yes he spoke to me last year. We were in the library. He complained loudly about his defence homework. I gave him the answer without thinking, the next day he helped me with my potions.

He has no allegiance to the dark snake lord?

He said even if he wanted to his family would have disowned him. He never really spoke to me before last year, even though he hung around with Malfoy he never said anything to me. After that day in the library we kept running into each other, he was civil, I was polite. Then he joked, I joked back. It was mainly stupid stuff, but he made me feel like I had a friend, other than Ron, Hermione and Neville.

Is it only as a friend you like him?

Yes. He’s nice, cute, fun but he doesn’t appeal to me like that. If I was ever to do anything with him, I think it’d just be awkward, for both of us. And I don’t want that. I don’t want to lose his friendship. He’s one of the few people I feel I can count on. And its nice to have a friend from another house who I don’t feel will turn against me the moment I get bad press.

How come he was not mentioned before?

You didn’t give me a word that fitted him.

What would that be?

I don’t know…baffling maybe. Yes baffling, sometimes I don’t know how to take him, the rest of the time it’s like he’s saying what I’m thinking.

I see.

He said something quite strange to me once, I’ve never been able to work it out…

Go on

We were talking about the dark side again. He said there were few in slytherin house that thought as he did. When I asked him why he didn’t want to serve the dark lord, he said “there is someone else I’d rather serve”. When I asked him whether he meant Dumbledore, he said no.

Hhmm I don’t understand either. Krai sent his thought carefully, it was extremely difficult to lie mind to mind. It was possible to lie mind to mind, it was just a different way of speaking but you had to be careful not to send more than you intended. He didn’t speak to Harry again for a while, his Master needed to focus his attention on those around him.


Harry knew he looked different but he thought there’d be more people who recognised him. He had almost walked into Seamus and the Gryffindor had just looked him up and down with a little bit of a glint in his eye and had walked off. It didn’t make you feel good, but it sure let you know where you stood. He still had the same eyes, fair to well they were shaped slightly differently but they were still bright emerald green. He’d thought people would remember his eyes but as always all they saw was the scar.

Cho Chang had passed him by as well, and if there was one person that he’d thought would recognise him it would have been her. They’d stared into each others eyes so often he thought she’d know them by heart, she was his ex-girlfriend for cryin out loud.

Susan Bones and Ernie MacMillan had walked by him, Justin Finch-Fletchley had looked at him for a moment and had then shook his head and walked off, all three of them were members of the DA. If anyone would recognise him he had expected it to be the DA members. He didn’t hold out much hope for the others of the group, he knew them even less.

There were two people who he knew would cheer him up. He went straight to Weasley Wizard Weases, he was in the mood for a joke shop. When he got there he stopped outside, the shop was bursting at the seams. It was chock full of students, most of them second and third years. He turned around and headed back to Flourish and Blotts, he didn’t want to bother the twins they were obviously really busy. Krai hissed reassuringly in his ear. His tongue flicking against Harry’s ear.

~Do not worry Massster, thossse who love you will know you. Blaisssse recognised you and ssso will othersss.~

~I thought they would, but they wont~ he hissed, his voice low.

~Ssssome do not sssee you, they sssee the boy who lived. The ssscar. Forget them, sssave them when the time comesss but right now they are not important. There are many that don’t think like them, itss them that matter. Thossse who touched your life and whossse life you touched will know you. You’ll sssee Massster~

He still felt a bit low, but Krai was right. None of the people he had met so far, bar Blaise mattered. He liked them and he would never hurt them, but there were so many others more important to him. Seamus had turned on him before (fifth year), so had Hannah, Ernie and Justin (second, fourth and fifth year) and Cho, that’d never been meant to be. She’d been upset over Cedric and he’d thought she was what he wanted. She wasn’t, thinking about it he’d probably been more jealous that she was with Cedric, if she’d have been with another guy he didn’t think he’d care.


They went to Flourish and Blotts, where Harry picked up the books he needed for school. He also picked up a few others that looked interesting, surprisingly potions. He knew he needed to improve in the subject, classes didn’t matter but life did. He was studying one ponderously heavy tomb, when someone snarled his name.
“Potter, what are you doing here.” That last bit was said with more than a little venom, even though he knew it was an act it still made him angry. He turned around to find Snape, his least favourite teacher glaring at him. Deciding to be honest he told him.
“If you must know Professor, I am searching for a basic potions text that includes a lot of theory.”

Snape continued to glare for a moment, then suddenly he strode forward, robes billowing and picked a book off the shelf to his right. All the while muttering to himself.
“Typical useless Gryffindors can’t even look in the right bloody sections! Almost as bad as Longbottom…surprised can even put a cauldron the way up.” Harry tried not to laugh, for some reason he just wanted to laugh at Snape. Usually he’d have been angry for longer but right now he was almost happy to see the git. Snape had recognised him, he felt like jumping for joy, but he thought better of it, Snape’d probably hex him if he did. He just smirked and took the book from him. Snape noticed the smirk and paused mid turn.
“You better go through that book page by page Potter. For when you get back to school you will be taking remedial potions again. You may have got an exceeds expectations grade at owl level, but the majority of that was from your theory exam not the practical. You will prove to me that you can do every potion on the syllabus for the first four years, before the end of this one. Do I make myself clear?” He said raising an eyebrow.
“Yes sir!” Snape didn’t nod or anything he just turned around and stalked off, robes again billowing. And not for the first time Harry wondered if he charmed them to do that.
Then he sobered up, Ah crap occlumency again.

I see why you said he was dark. Krai said in his head. Dark but not evil!

You sure about that? Harry asked.

I am!

He headed towards the tills and spotted Hermione and Ron down one of the rows. After almost everyone he knew at school had walked past him, he suddenly didn’t feel like staying around. But before he could turn around they spotted him. Hermione looked him up and down with no recognition in her eyes. Ron however obviously recognised him, he was pointing and spluttering.
“What the hell ’appened to you?”
“Hello Ron.” The moment he spoke Hermione’s jaw dropped. “Hermione.” He nodded, feeling a little bit hurt. But he soon forgot her reaction, he had Ron’s shock to deal with.
“Wow mate, I mean, wow. What happened?”
“You went through your transition didn’t you Harry?” Hermione asked.
“Bloody hell mate, all I got was a headache!”
“Yeah guess we know how much damage the Dursleys did to me.” He tried to joke, but Ron didn’t laugh and neither did Hermione, she just burst out crying and ran towards him.
“Oh Harry!” Hermione cried flinging her arms around him. “I didn’t recognise you, you look, well…you look good.”
“Hermione let the man breathe.” Ron said stepping forward and pulling Hermione away. “We tried writing to you the other day mate, but the owls came back with the letters. Did you get our birthday presents?”
“Yeh I did guys they were great, that book on famous quidditch games was fantastic Ron! The house is warded, only Hedwig can get in or out. I was gonna go to the burrow after I finished here.”
“Well you can come with me mate. Hermione’s goin home though.”
“I’m going to France again with my mum and dad. Just for a week though.”
“That’d be great Ron.” He said, then turned to Hermione. “Don’t worry we can catch up when you get back.” She squealed and flung her arms around him again.


They walked around together for a while. Ron needed to go to Madam Malkin’s so Harry decided to get some new robes as well.
“I’ve been workin at Fred and Georges’. So I’m getting some new robes for once. Malfoy wont be able to say owt then.”
“I don’t know Ron, deprive him a one insult he’ll think of another.”
“Probably, where we going after?”
“Leaky Cauldron, gotta tell you guys someat.”
“Alright mate.”
Hermione just nodded.

It was strange being in Madam Malkin’s again, with Ron stood next to him. He’d looked in the large mirror on the wall as a first year and several years after. His appearance had never really changed but today he was looking at a different person. He studied the young man in the mirror…

He had large, bright emerald eyes. Arching eyebrows and dark eyelashes that framed them. He had golden skin and high cheekbones, his jaw was more shapely and refined. His face was aesthetic, chiselled and fine. His lips were soft and he had heard many girls describe lips like his as kissable, would boys find them the same? The ‘beauty spots’ and freckles he had had were gone. His hair was so long now that it reached to his knees. It seemed to be blacker than before but that could be due to the increased thickness of it. When he gathered it all in his hand he couldn’t close his fingers around it. It was straight now, with a little bit of a wave in places. No longer unruly due to the weight. But he could still mess it up and when he did it changed his whole look again. When it was like that he looked windswept and wild. It was sleek and almost shone as bright as Krai’s scales.

His body was no longer that of an undernourished boy. He now had a physique better than most young men his age. He would never be heavyset or muscled, but he was no longer scrawny and weak looking. His shoulders were quite wide, his chest and waist were subtly thinner, his legs long and lean. His muscles were not large, they were perfect, discernable through cloth but not bulging. He still had only a small amount of hair on his body. He had never shaved and it looked like he never would. His scar was almost always hidden by his hair now, people looked at him but their eyes never tracked to the scar, instead they looked him up and down as though they were examining him. He wasn’t too keen on that but at least they weren’t looking at his scar.

After they’d bought their new robes and after he’d been talked into buying a new set of dress robes (emerald green like his old ones) they went to the Leaky Cauldron. Where they took a seat in the darkest corner and Harry introduced them both to Krai. Ron was a bit shocked when Harry told him he had a snake as a familiar.
“But Harry a snakes a slytherin thing?”
“Oh Ronald grow up, it’s a bit obvious that if Harry had a familiar it’d be a snake.”

After that he’d let it go and when Krai stared at him for more than five minutes and didn’t bite him, he relaxed. He even went so far as to stroke him. But Hermione wouldn’t go near him, she was accepting and even addressed the odd remark to Krai but she wouldn’t touch him. Harry put it down to the incident with the basilisk and didn’t say anything about it. They talked about stupid things after that, things they’d done in the past, what was likely to happen over the coming year and so on. Hermione even lectured them on taking their NEWTs seriously. They just laughed and promised her they would (it was the only way to get her to stop).

After a while, it was time for Hermione to leave. Her parents who had been shopping in muggle London came to pick her up and she left after hugging Ron and giving Harry a quick kiss on the cheek. For some reason he felt a bit awkward when she did that but he shrugged it off. Krai though had been watching all day and he had took more notice of certain things than Harry had. A few things earlier in the day had disturbed him, he hissed quietly to himself, he would allow no harm to come to his Master.

Harry and Ron had another butterbeer from the bar. Ron said he was waiting to see if Fred and George came in. They sometimes closed up at five but usually it was later. When they’d finished their butterbeers and Fred and George still hadn’t come in, they picked up their things and flooed to the Burrow.

A/N…as always guys if you’ve read please review too. Its twice as much fun for me if you do.

If you want to be notified of updates then please leave me your email in a review. If you want to be taken off the list at any time just let me know in the same way.

If anyones read the smoke series by Tanya Huff, ive done a little fic with Tony/Lee as the pairing, if you wanna read it click my name and go to the books section, u cant miss it.

Also I’ve found some good pics. One of a sunbeam and one of a sea krait, so if you wanna see what Krai looks like copy and paste the links.

http://i1.trekearth.com/photos/12505/yellow_lip_sea_krait.jpg

http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=topn&cat=0&pos=111