Death's Gift

Chapter Twenty-Eight - Reuniting

Harry's eyes shot opened and he snapped his head around. Not seeing anyone he let out a breath, for a second he could've sworn that he felt Tom's breath against his neck again. Harry shook his head, trying to clear it.

"I have never seen that side of you before, it was... different."

Harry didn't know if he was just imagining it now, but when Tom said that, was there something different about his tone? Harry shrugged it off, no, of course there wasn't, why would there be anyway?

Sighing, Harry pushed himself up off of his bed, pulling out his invisibility cloak.

*Anemone, you ready to go?*

The snake, who had been relaxing in the sunlight from the window seeing as harry had packed up her things, perked her head up, *Already?*

Harry smiled lopsidedly, *Yes already.*

The snake seemed to sigh, *I don't want to go into the cloak, it's confining and uncomfortable.*

Harry crouched down, stroking the scaled on the top of her head, *You don't have to if you don't want to, I'm sure I'll be able to talk Sirius into letting you stay here while I'm at school.*

The snake's head shot up completely, Anemone looking Harry directly in the eyes, *No! Anemone wants to go to Hogwarts with Harry!*

Harry chuckled, *Then you have to be concealed in the cloak until we get to the dorms, then you can slither out. I'm not allowed to have snakes at school with me.*

*You owe me an extra rat.* Anemone hissed, only half joking.

Harry rolled his eyes, *I'll get you a rat. I'm sure I can find one around the dungones.*

Anemone slithered into the cloak, Harry securing it around her. Grabbing Hedwig's cadge, which held the owl, Harry grabbed the handle of his trunk and made his way downstairs to floo to the station with Sirius and Remus.

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"There you are." Harry looked up as Draco walked into the compartment, sitting down across from him, "I thought you'd be with Hermione."

Harry shook his head, "Nope, she and Anthony kept talking about school stuff and learning. Don't get me wrong, I love to learn, but there's a line."

Blaise laughed as he walked into the compartment, surprising Harry and Draco, they hadn't even heard him open the compartment door, "And that's why you're not a Ravenclaw."

Harry laughed, "That and the fact that I don't see the facts all the time, even if they're screaming in my face."

"So you finally admit to that?" A voice said from the hallway of the still open door.

It sounded familiar to Harry, though he couldn't place it.

"Who said that?" Draco asked, "Stop eavesdropping."

A man appeared in the doorway, "I did not mean to..." The man looked Draco up and down, "Malfoy."

Draco stuck his nose up in the air, seemingly refined, just like a typical Malfoy would do.

"Who are you?" Blaise asked.

"Nicholas Vanidestine, I'll be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts this year."

Harry's eyes widened, that's why the voice sounded familiar, this was Tom. He had to admit, Harry would've never imagined that he wasn't who he said he was. Though, he also couldn't hold back his irritation with the man at the moment. Not say a word to him for a month, then just dropping in and acting as if nothing had happened.