Ni,

Slytherin help me, if you told Mione, I’ll hex you so badly you’ll be stuck in the Hospital Wing all term.  And you know I can do it, so don’t tempt me.

And yes, things are fine here.  And, yes, I am going to tell them.  Gods, woman, you are persistent.  I got yelled at this morning because Da found out you knew.  By the way, how did you find out?  You never did tell me that.

Anyway, see you at Ron’s.

Harry

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

Ron,

No, it’s incessantly boring.  Beyond flying, all I have to do is my homework.  And I finished that the first week.

And, yes, I can come.  Can’t wait to see the Burrow again!

Harry

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

Mika,

Hogwarts is not half as fun to be at without you guys.  Dreadfully boring.

Jar threatened to set your hair on fire?  I’ll kill him.

And yes, yes, I am going to tell you guys the Big Secret.  Too bad that’s a month away!  I don’t think I’ll survive.

Harry

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

“Finished writing letters yet?”

Harry looked up from his book (still Storm Front) as his father entered the room from the bathroom, hair dripping water onto his shoulders.

“Yeh.  I sen’ Jar off with ‘em jus’ a second ago.”

Severus nodded and, after performing a Drying Charm on his hair, sat down at the table with a pile of papers.  Harry arched an eyebrow and said, “Tests?”

“Exams,” replied Severus.

“Tests, exams….same thing.”

“If you’re hoping to see yours, forget it.”

“Oh, doan worry about i’,” said Harry offhandedly.

“And why is that?” asked Severus with an arched eyebrow.

“I already looked.”

Severus smirked.

“Slytherin is as Slytherin does.”

Harry snorted in agreement and turned back to his book.

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

July 31…

“Harry!  Harry!!”

“Wha’?” said Harry blearily, stumbling out of his bedroom into the main room.

“Get these blasted owls off my table if you want to eat breakfast!”

“Owls?” said Harry, rubbing his eyes and peering at the table.

Sure enough, there were owls perched all over it.

“Is there some special occasion that I don’t know about today?  Or is it simply your birthday?” asked Severus as he walked back into the room from where he had been having a conversation with one of Hogwart’s house-elves.

Harry mock-glared at his father then separated the first owl from its letter and attached parcel.  He recognized Hermione’s neat writing fairly well and opened her letter.

Harry,

Happy birthday!  Niamh told me that you’ll be at the Burrow.  Which means you can finally tell us that Big Secret you won’t tell of in your letters.

And since you’re being so secretive, I thought I’d give you this.  I picked it up last year at Diagon Alley.

Hermione

Harry opened the parcel and grinned.

“Mione, ye should’n have.”

“What is it?” asked Severus.

Harry held up the book of Advanced Charms Hermione had sent him.  She knew of his and Professor Flitwick’s friendship and had hence, sent him a book.  It was also because he was very good at Charms and finished most work in that class ages before anyone else.

He then turned to the next owl, which was a post owl as Hermione’s had been.

Harry,

Curse my parents!  If we couldn’t use magic over summer hols, I would curse them!  Gods, Harry they’re horrible!  HORRIBLE!  They told me I could go to the Burrow and now they tell me I can’t!  The only reason I was able to send this to you was because they don’t know Mione’s a witch.  If they did, we’d have moved by now.

Help me, mate!  Come with Professor Snape!  Scare the bloody piss out of them!

Cha, Ni – pissed off and severely annoyed

“I presume that is from Miss O’Feir?”

“Yeh,” replied Harry.  “Her parents woan let her come ter the Burrow.”

“Did they not already say she could?” asked Severus.

“Yes!”

“Hmm.  Perhaps we should do something.”

“Tha’s what she suggested.”

“It is tempting.  She is one of my Slytherin’s, after all…”

“So…”

“So, what?  Open the rest of your presents while I contemplate.”

Harry grinned, knowing already what his father’s answer would be.  The man could muck about all he wanted to, but in the end he would always go to the aid of his Slytherin’s.  Even Malfoy and his cronies.

Harry eyed Niamh’s gift – which was a box – before lifting the lid and peering inside.  A hiss issued from it and Severus jumped.

“What the…?”

“Humansss…”

Harry opened the box fully and peered down at the tiny black garden snake that was nestled inside on a bed of grasses.  The snake looked up at him with opaque black eyes and blinked.

“You…” it hissed.

Harry blinked.

“You!”

Severus frowned and looked from his son to the snake.

“Did I miss something?”

Harry ignored the question, still staring at the snake.

“How?”

The snake gave the equivalent of a shrug.  “I do not know.  The woman threw me out after you left.  A few daysss ago, a girl caught me.  I had no idea ssshe was sssending me to you.  I would not have put up asss much of a fight.”

“Ye fought Ni?”

“Ssshe iss a friend?”

“The best.”

“Sssorry.”

“S’all right.  Ye did’n know.”

Harry looked up now at Severus, who was watching him.

“What?”

“Nothing.  Just listening to your conversation.”

Harry blinked.

“Ye can understand i’?”

“I caught a few words,” replied Severus.  “I am not a Parselmouth myself, but my mother was.  She taught me a little of the language before she died.  I don’t have the skill to speak it, but I can understand when someone else speaks it.”  He turned thoughtful and continued, “I believe your conversation with your friend there was something about ‘a woman who threw him out’ and ‘a girl who caught him’.  There was a something about a fight but I didn’t catch the rest.”

Harry nodded.  “Tha’s pretty much i’.  Ni caught him an’ sent him ter me.  I guess ‘cause…”

“Because you are a Parselmouth.”

“Yeh.”

“What isss all thisss ‘him’ busssinessssss?  I am a ssshe!”

Harry picked up the tiny snake and hissed, “Sorry.  Do you have a name?”

The snake shook her head and slid down Harry’s hand to curl about his wrist.

“No.”

Harry looked up at Severus and asked, “Wha’ would be a good name fer her?”

Severus frowned.

“Hmm.  Perhaps…  No.”

“Wha’?”

“No, I don’t think you would like it.”

“Tell me,” growled Harry.

Severus looked across the table at his son and said softly, “You already know.”

Harry blinked and looked down at the snake before turning his head towards his halfway open bedroom door.  Through it he could see the tiny statue of his first ever pet.

“Hedwig.”

“I like it,” hissed the snake from her spot on Harry’s wrist.

Severus smiled and looked at Harry, who was also smiling but with a glitter in his eyes.  Harry then looked up and said, “Hedwig it is.”

Hedwig sighed contentedly and muttered, “It isss good we have that cleared up…”

Severus and Harry laughed before the teen turned back to his presents.  He picked up the limp bundle of gray feathers that was the Weasley’s ancient owl Errol and removed the letter and attached package before carrying the poor owl over to Jardin’s perch.  When he returned, he ripped open the letter – which was very long.

Harry,

You can come!  Yes!

// Harry, I can’t wait to see you again! //

Ginny, give me –

~ Harry! ~

:: Absolutely spiffing. ::

~ We have some new stuff for you. ~

:: Loads to use on the Git this year.  We sent a small bit… ::

~ …but you’ll have to ask us for more. ~

:: We know you and Niamh will use it up quickly! ::

Will you two sod off?

// Ignore them, Harry. //

:: Why would he want to ignore us? ::

// Because all three of you are absolutely nutters? //

OI!

// It’s true, Ron. //

Maybe THOSE TWO are nutters, but I’m not!

:: Suuure, Ronnikins. ::

~ Whatever you say. ~

Oh shut up…

// See you soon, Harry! //

Ron, Ginny, Gred, and Forge

Harry laughed and shook his head as he sat the letter aside to rip open the paper on the package the four Weasley’s had sent him.  Inside was a large box of joke stuff from the twins (Harry eyed the Canary Creams with a mischievous look in his eyes), an equally large box of Chocolate Frogs from Ron, and a smaller box that must be a gift from Ginny.  Harry lifted the box out and opened in, eyes popping as he saw what was inside.

An intricately made silver Basilisk bared its fangs at him, the tiny emeralds set in place of its eyes shimmering in the light from a nearby torch.  From his wrist, Hedwig hissed her approval.

“Ssshe hass tassstesss.”

Severus arched an eyebrow at that but said nothing, turning a page in A Tale of Two Cities.  Harry drew out the necklace and held it up, admiring it.  It hung from a supple cord of black leather and seemed to writhe in the light.  Harry slipped it over his head and pulled his hair out of it as he tucked it under his shirt.  It hung to halfway down his chest and was a warm weight, when he thought it should have been cold.  Inside the box was another letter, this was folded and wedged in the top.  Harry dug it out and unfolded it.

Harry,

This is a thank you for rescuing me last year.  I know there’s no possible way I could repay you but consider this it.

Thank you.

Ginny

Harry smiled and folded the letter back up, closing his eyes as he did so.  He murmured, “No trouble, Gin.  No trouble a’tol.”

If Severus heard, he made no sign.

The last owl was a gift from Mika, which was a newer addition of Niamh’s Aurors of the Centuries.  According to the Slytherin’s short letter, the book was charmed to add in new pages whenever they were created, which Harry knew Niamh’s version did not (it was also two years older).  He wondered for a moment how Mika could have gotten a hold of the book then remembered that he had said his father was a ‘paranoid old Auror’.  Shaking his head, he picked up the letter from the last owl, which was his Hogwarts letter.

“Why did’n ye get this?”

Severus looked up from Two Cities and replied, “Minerva sends those out.  And as if would look rather strange for me to go to her cottage to get it, I decided against it.”

“Oh.”

Severus chuckled then turned back to his book as Harry opened the letter.

Dear Mr. Potter, (Harry snorted here, earning a half-glance from Severus)

Please note that the new school year will begin on September the first.  The Hogwarts Express will leave from King’s Cross station, platform nine and three-quarters, at eleven o’clock.

Third years are permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade on certain weekends.  Please give the enclosed permission form to your parent or guardian to sign.

A list of book for next year is enclosed.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Harry pulled out the permission form and looked at it.  Hogsmeade was the wizarding town he had heard about just down from Hogwarts.  According to the twins, they’re butter beer was spot on.

“Da?”

“Hmm?”

Harry slid the permission form across the now owl-free table to his father, who picked it up.  After a moment he said, “I’ll have to think about it.  First, breakfast.  I believe it should be here any…”

Before he could finish his sentence plates full of steaming food popped up onto the table, accompanied by a large pitcher of pumpkin juice.

“…minute.”

Harry chuckled and picked up his fork, hissing to Hedwig before he dug in.