Familiar

Hey guys, thankyou so much for reviewing.
arealdeal, sorry if the name thing freaked you out. Dont worry i dont know your name or where you live, im perfectly normal in everyway. And criticise all you want it'l make me a better writer.

Love to everyone who reviews. If there is anyother pairings you would like to see later in this fic, let me know. I know of one particular pairing that i think will be important to the story. but if any of you want to see anything else let me know.

Oh and can someone tell me what to do to get bold and italics to appear. thanks and keep reviewing the more you review the faster i update.

by the way if the beginning seems a bit awkward, im sorry, didnt know how else to write it.

Chapter Two: Knockturn Alley


It was a few moments before he realised where he was, he was in Knockturn Alley.


His first thought was… Oh shit. His second thought was, bloody fantastic.
Ever since his little trip at the age of twelve he’d wanted to go back. Preferably as he was now. Under glamour, with nobody hexing him because he was the boy who lived.


He set off, keeping his eyes peeled, never turning his head and gawking; acting like a tourist was the fastest way to get you noticed. And he was determined to walk out the way he came in, in one piece.


Everything was dark, dingy and gothic. The buildings were all old, built before the turn of the century, or in the early years of it. They leaned in, over the pathways, oppressive and darkening the street so much that it no longer appeared to be mid afternoon. Birds called, but that was the only sound to be heard. The presence of the place was cold and it appealed to the dark part of his soul. Part of him felt like it had come home. He supposed the part that had come from Voldemort should feel at home here. The entire motif was snakish, he couldn’t help wondering what would happen if he went up to one of the hundreds of snakes dotted around the place and spoke a little parseltongue. Would a secret entrance open up and take him to another one of Slytherin’s chambers. Or maybe to Voldemorts secret lair, were hundreds of death eaters watching him right now. Suddenly looking around the alley didn’t seem as good an idea as it had earlier.


For once he wanted to meet Voldemort on his terms and he wasn’t fully prepared yet.


Glancing in the shop windows as he passed, he noticed Borgin and Burkes, the shop he had gone crashing into in second year was closed. Strange, he thought. He’d expected a shop like that to be selling out its stock daily with the dark lord up and about. He shrugged it off, maybe they’d been investigated by the Ministry.


The street was quite empty, compared with the last time he’d been there. The only other person he could see was a hunched figure sat on a wrought iron bench, even the batty woman with the tray of fingernails was missing. He hoped this was what it was always like on a Tuesday, if not, then he’d better start worrying. He turned around to leave, a little bit unsettled, put his foot on a loose flagstone which tilted up and smacked into his ankle with a crack.
‘Son of a bitch!’ he swore.
‘What the fuck?’ He turned around and found the last person, well, not the last person he expected to see here but anyway, Draco Malfoy was the figure sat on the bench. Malfoy suddenly huffed.
‘Huh, thought you were someone else.’
‘Who?’ Harry asked his heart beating wildly, if that prick knew, he could probably have Voldemorts entire inner circle here in less than a minute.
‘Nobody.’ Malfoy answered, looking at his feet.
Against his better judgement Harry couldn’t help being curious and a little concerned, admittedly not much it was after all Malfoy.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘None of your business!’ snapped the blond.
With a sigh, Harry strode forward. He didn’t know why he was doing this or what was making him, probably the curiosity. So not the time to be thinking about the saying, “Curiosity killed the Cat!”
‘Do you need any help?’


The look Malfoy gave him could have shattered glass.
‘And what makes you think you could help me?’
Huh, maybe I’m an idiot, who thinks someone who looks as shit as you do, wouldn’t refuse help. But I guess your brains are as addled as your face.’ He felt a moments satisfaction at the look on Malfoys face before his better side won over.
‘Sorry, that was uncalled for.’ Privately he thought Malfoy had deserved everything he said.
It was a moment before he realised that Malfoy was looking up at him with the most open expression he had ever seen on the other boys face. And boy was definitely the word that suited Draco at the moment, gone was the haughty expression, the snide smirk, the cold eyes and the cutting remarks. Instead his face was open, the mask completely gone and what was beneath it was equally as surprising as the fact that he was seeing it. Draco’s expression was the most insecure he had ever seen.
‘Do I really look that bad?’ he asked, his words barely a whisper on the wind. He had always known Malfoy was vain but that really took the biscuit, hell it took the tin. Holding back his grin, he told him no, he didn’t look that bad. Draco had smiled at him then, he’d nearly died of shock. Draco Malfoy smiling, god, if he told Ron, Ron would die of shock.


‘Whats your name?’ the question killed his amusement.
‘Aidan.’ He said, holding out his hand, he had no idea where the name had come from. It had flowed off his tongue so easily, he hadn’t hesitated at all and why was that, hell he didn’t care. He looked back at Draco who was still holding his hand, as soon as their eyes met Draco held his hand more firmly and shook it.
‘Draco, pleased to meet you.’ He noticed Draco seemed happier about something, he couldn’t think what.
‘What you here for?’ Draco asked.
‘Huh?’
‘Well you don’t seem to have been here before.’
‘You saying I look like a tourist?’ he smirked. Draco smirked at him.
‘No I’m saying you look like a country bumpkin who’s never seen a few dark arts shops before.’
‘And if I haven’t?’ Draco just smiled.
‘I’d offer to show you round but I don’t want to be here any more than you do.’
‘Is it that obvious?’
‘Yeh, you looked like you were about to have a panic attack then you got a light tap on your ankle and swore so loud you startled the ravens.’
‘Ravens?’ Draco just pointed. About twelve ravens were perched on the roof of the shop opposite them. Draco actually chuckled at his expression, it was such an odd sound to here from a Malfoy, so much so he had to join in. He felt a bit strange laughing with Malfoy.


It was strange it was so easy to talk to this Draco. Had he changed or was he just seeing a side of Draco that no one else had. But why was Draco allowing him to see it, had he said something, done something. It was a strange thought that came to him then, maybe Draco was as trapped in his life as Harry was. But at least he knew that he belonged on the side of light, maybe Draco didn’t have that to reassure him.


The possibility of him having something in common with Malfoy was shocking, it just went to show, maybe he was as prejudiced as Draco had been. But the difference between them was that Malfoy would never realise it nor would he do anything about it. At that moment the shop door opened behind them, Draco immediately stiffened and his mask fell into place.
‘Please, do call again Mr Malfoy.’ Draco winced, actually winced and then he looked at him for a moment, his face completely open, waiting for him to say something. When he didn’t Draco gave him a half smile before his mask fell back into place.
And then the cold drawling voice of Lucius Malfoy reached his ears and for a moment the memories threatened him.
‘I will definitely remember you in the future, Mr Donnal. Come Draco.’ He said nothing else to his son, just expected him to follow. He forgot about the memories, as anger welled up. At Lucius and at Draco, as Draco just turned around and followed his father, but after a moment he turned back to face Harry and mouthed the words ‘write to me’.
Harry just nodded. And that was that.


It was only after Malfoy left that he realised not once had he mentioned what house he was in, asked Harry well Aidan what house he was in or mentioned the purity of his blood.
Huh, will wonders never cease he thought.
The uneasiness he had felt earlier was gone, but he still thought he should leave. On his way back to Diagon Alley he spotted another menagerie, it looked dark and depressing but he thought he may as well look. The menagerie was next to an Apothecary, outside were several barrels of the cheaper things, like beetle eyes, bundles of feathers and fangs, from nothing rare of course, that stuff was all inside. Several tanks were stacked up near the door. As he was passing the shop a low voice said…
‘Why isss Harrry sss Potterrrs, wearing a glamourrr?’


For a moment he almost had a heart attack, thinking Voldemort had found him. But it wasn’t Voldemort, it was a snake, a snake sitting in the topmost tank, which was almost at his eye level. The snake was looking at him curiously, of course that was if a snake could actually look curious, but that’s what he thought it looked like anyway. It was a black snake, extremely fine and sleek, the scales reflected the light whenever its coils rippled and glowed different colours like the sheen of petrol on water. He was a beautiful snake, his tongue darted out, tasting the air.
‘How sss do yousss know me?’ Harry asked.
‘I sssseee you.’
‘How?’
‘Don’t sssknow. Jussst do.’ Harry thought for a moment.
‘Why are you here?’
‘To be ssssold forr dark magic.’
‘Why?’
‘Sssskin.’ He answered simply.
‘Ah, you musssst be rare.’
‘I have rarrre bloodssss.’
‘Why isss almosssst everything in the wizarrrding world about bloodsss?’
‘Do not know, Massssterr.’
‘I have passssed many ssssnakess today and not one hassss sssspoken to me. Why did you?’
‘Do not know, Massssterr, feeling, inssstinct almossst sssame asss desssire to ssstrike prey.’
A feeling, an instinct that was almost as primal as the need to hunt prey. Could it be that this snake was meant for him. He took another look at the snake it was almost as though the light that glittered on the snake made the shape of a lightning bolt flashing when he moved. He had to ask.
‘Do you know me?’
‘I feel like I knowsss you but I do not knowsss how.’
‘Do you know the word Familiarrr?’
If it were possible the snakes eyes widened, he nodded.
‘I do know young Masssster, if you touch me we may bond, I will sssshare a little of your magic and in return guide you throughout lifffe.’
‘If you are willing, I will assk the ssshop owner if I may hold you?’
‘I am young Master.’


After a few minutes of arguing he was allowed to hold the snake, who he was told had both the blood of an adder and an obscure sea snake. He had to give the man ten galleons, just to hold him. Apparently he would get it back if he returned the snake, he didn’t think he would. But it didn’t matter, even if the snake wasn’t his familiar he was going to buy him and he would make sure that the ten galleons he had already given the man were knocked off the price. As soon as his hands touched the smooth underbelly of the snake and the snake wrapped himself around his arm, he knew that this snake was indeed his familiar, an icy fire spread through his limbs making him shudder and the snake hiss. For a moment he couldn’t help wondering why he had found his familiar now, before his birthday. According to the books the familiar could be found any day between the seventeenth and eighteenth birthday, why had he found his early. It was only a day but again was there another reason for all of this.
~Massster?~
~Yesss?~
~I think the man isss getting a little impatient sss~
Harry laughed to himself the man was indeed impatient, he was tapping his foot, had his arms crossed and his wand out. The snake slithered up his arm and wrapped itself loosely around his neck.
‘How much?’ he asked aloud.