When Harry felt the hand on his shoulder, he knew he shouldn't have been surprised as he turned around to see James Potter staring at him with an accusatory gaze.
Harry only smiled, glancing at Draco by his side, "Can I help you Potter? Draco and I have an arithmancy lesson to attend."
James' eyes flicked between Harry and Draco, and for a moment, Harry worried that he would suspect that Draco would help Harry return to his father. Of course, it was a distinct possibility that he already knew, and had informed the Order. But that wouldn't stop Harry.
"Why were you talking to Theo?" James asked finally, aware of the students trickling from the Great Hall.
Harry's smile was as sharp as a knife, "Am I not allowed to have a conversation with my dear cousin?"
James glanced at Draco, obviously not aware that Draco had know that Harry was James' son since he was five.
"Potter?" Harry asked, "Are you going to answer or can we leave?"
James glared at him, "Harry, as much as I love you-"
Harry snorted.
"-I don't want you to...endanger Theo in any way. Do you understand?"
Merlin the man was stupid. He should know by now that nothing he said would ever be enough to even remotely threaten Harry.
"I understand perfectly. Uncle," Harry added, smirking.
James only pursed his lips and sighed, gesturing for them both to be on their way.
They both turned to walk to class, no doubt late by now. Their shoes clacked on the floor, echoing in the high ceilings. Without warning, Draco burst out laughing. Harry turned to him, confused, as the blond clutched his stomach and laughed.
"What's so funny?" Harry asked eventually.
Draco gasped for breath, "He was trying to be so threatening!" he shrieked between giggles, "You're the son of the Dark Lord and he was-" he stopped, unable to keep talking as he burst out laughing again.
Harry sighed, "Sometimes I'm embarrassed to be friends with you."
The pair kept walking and were eventually ten minutes late to arithmancy. Harry sat in class, planning out how exactly to suede little Theo Potter.
~~~~~~~~~~
"No, please don't leave me again," Draco wined, as Harry got up from his seat at lunch. "Pansy's driving me insane," he said with clenched teeth.
"I heard that!" Pansy shrieked from across Slytherin table.
"See?" Draco said desperately, "Why are you going over there anyway?"
"I'll tell you in the common room," Harry said, walking away and ignoring Draco's pleas as he went.
Harry's plan was to spend as much time with Theo as possible, which meant Gryffindor table at mealtimes, putting up with the Weasel and Granger, as well as various other house members that Harry hadn't bothered to remember the names of. Harry had planned to slowly turn Theo against his parents, relying on his need for a relationship with his big brother. To do this of course, Harry had to establish a relationship with the brown haired boy.
"Harry!"
Harry put on a friendly smile as he sat down at the Gryffindor table, locking eyes with James as he did, before quickly flicking his gaze to a beaming Theo.
"Hey Theo," Harry said, filling his plate.
"What're you doing here? I though the other day was just a one off."
Harry laughed, "I'm trying to get to know you more, I haven't had much of a chance to meet members from other houses."
"That git Malfoy's probably keeping you on a tight leash," the Weasel spat, glaring daggers at Draco from across the table.
Harry wanted to point his wand at the ginger's throat, crucio him until he was on his knees and tell him that no one held him on a leash.
But of course, Harry only smiled thinly at the boy, "Draco's actually one of my best friends. Slytherin's been very accommodating to me," Harry said to Theo, who hung on his every word. "From what my father told me, there seems to be some sort of house rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor?"
"Yeah, cause they're all dark wizards!" Weasel exclaimed. "And I said no talking about your 'father'!"
Harry's hand reached for his wand, a crucio on the tip of his tongue.
Granger glanced at him, "Ron, tone it down."
Weasel flushed and shoved his mouth with pie, and Harry breathed, clenching his fists.
"They've really been kind to you?" Theo asked softly, staring apprehensively at Draco, who had somehow ended up getting his hair braided by a delighted looking Pansy.
Harry smirked inwardly, practically hearing the doubt in the younger boy's mind.
"Yeah, I really don't understand what everyone has against them," Harry said, his tone carefully confused and open.
Theo's brows furrowed, "I guess I've never understood either. Malfoy's just always been such a bully."
Harry almost smiled, thinking back to all the times Draco had sat in Harry's room, recounting all the horrible things he and his cronies had done to Potter and his friends. But before he had the chance to defend Draco, Granger squealed in fright, pointing near Harry's sleeve.
"It's a snake!" she shrieked, "In your sleeve! A snake!"
Harry sighed, watching as Kaa slithered out of his sleeve, making Granger recoil.
"Such noise," Kaa hissed, moving up Harry's arm, "Why so loud speaker?"
Smirking straight at Hermione, Harry hissed back, "The mudblood is afraid of you, little one."
Glee lit up in Harry as he saw Granger's eyes widen in terror at the hissing escaping from Harry's mouth.
"You're a parslemouth?" she whispered in shock. "That's-"
"So cool!" Theo interrupted, reaching out to touch Kaa, who hissed in warning.
"Calm yourself," Harry warned the snake, "We must get this human to like us."
"Like us?" Kaa questioned, "I suppose I can friend another human."
Kaa slowly slithered off Harry's hand and onto the table, climbing onto Theo's hand easily, and getting the younger boy to laugh in delight as the snake's small tongue flicked out and tickled Theo's skin.
"Mate, I wouldn't be touching that thing," Weasel said, his face pale beneath his freckles. "What if he's told it to bite you?"
Theo's gaze snapped to the ginger, "Ron what are you talking about? Harry is my brot- my cousin." Theo quickly corrected, aware of the other people sitting near them. "He's family. If you don't like that he can speak to snakes, go somewhere else."
Harry grinned as the Weasel looked outraged, "You know where he got that ability from right? From bloody You- Kn-"
In a flash, Harry had a painful grip on the boy's wrist. "I would shut my mouth if I were you," he said softly. "Wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea."
Ron's eyes flew between Harry and Theo, ripping his hand out of Harry's grasp when it was clear that Theo wasn't going to defend him.
"Fine," the Weasel spat. "I see how it is."
And with that, he stormed off to the other side of the table. Granger looked torn for a moment, before glancing apologetically at Theo and following Weasley.
Harry watched with glee as Theo's face dropped.
"They really don't like me, do they?" Harry said, gently taking Kaa back and hiding him in his sleeve again, mentally promising to give the snake all the rats he could possibly want later.
"I don't understand why they would just...leave," Theo said hopelessly, "I mean, you're my brother."
Harry shook his head, "You know that they'll always see him first when they think of me."
"That doesn't bother you?" Theo asked, meeting Harry's eyes.
Harry grinned, "On the contrary, I quite enjoy being compared to my father."
Theo frowned, and Harry could practically hear the gears turning in his head.
"But, he's a murderer. He's responsible for the death of so many."
"Theo. I'm a murderer. I've killed people as well. You can see past that for me can't you? So why is it so hard to believe that I can do the same for my father."
Theo pursed his lips, thinking hard, and in that moment, Harry knew that he was getting somewhere.
Notes:
Harry in his manipulative era fr.
I told you guys Kaa would return. He's probably my favourite character atm.
I think it's been like a month since I've updated... oops