Harry was quite content as he sat at the table and ate his toast, glancing over occasionally to watch as the Dursleys looked every bit wary of him. Petunia cleaned in the kitchen, keeping him in her sight, Vernon sat across from him with a purple tinge on his skin and his eyes were wider than usual. Dudley however, had fled the room the moment Harry had entered and was now residing in the living room with the TV.

Although the Dursley's couldn't see him, Tom was seated beside Harry with Salazaria resting on his shoulder; the Dursleys would never be able to take them to the station out of frozen fear of the venomous snake biting them.

Harry was smug as he continued to eat his meal in silence. When his plate was finally clear (Tom had eaten previously) he turned to his uncle, who had spent the entire time eying his nephew fearfully.

'I am finished, uncle Vernon.' Harry announced unnecessarily. 'Are you ready to take me to the station?' He glanced a little worriedly at the clock. 'I don't want to be late.'

'Nor do I.' Tom added although only Harry heard him.

--

They arrived at King's Cross with less than an hour until the Hogwarts Express was set to leave the station. Vernon hadn't uttered a word about Harry's strange ticket as he unloaded the trunk, nor did the beefy man waste a spare second bidding farewell; he had quickly returned to his car and sped away.

'Surely there's no such thing?' Harry asked Tom again as he place his trunk on a trolley and pushed it along the platforms while he examined the ticket to 9 and ¾ in his hand.

'Not to muggles.' Tom answered and pointed ahead. 'There it is!'

Harry stared at the solid barrier and exhaled with skepticism. He shrugged and decided that his friend would know better than he would when it came to this stuff because in a way, Tom had already done all of this before.

'Okay, here goes...' Harry winced and pushed his trolley forward. He felt the rush of atmosphere as he went through the wall instead of slamming into it as he had still half-expected to do. Harry stared around the revealed platform with a grin as he caught his first sight of the red train in front of him.

'Told you.' Tom said in amusement from beside him while Salazaria slept around his shoulders; the snake was apparently ignoring all the sounds around her, although she hissed in annoyance every once and again when someone almost shoved past them.

Harry loaded his trunk and Hedwig's cage onto the train before he turned and followed Tom on board as they searched for a suitable and preferably empty compartment.

'This is becoming difficult.' Tom frowned in irritation and pondered on becoming visible; that way no one would run into him whilst thinking he wasn't there.

'Found one!' Harry breathed and stepped into the empty compartment halfway along the train. Tom nodded in approval and joined Harry while he shut the door closed. He sat across from Harry and Salazaria slithered onto the seat to become more comfortable.

They sat in utter silence until the train departed the station and Harry felt excitement swell inside himself like a bubble of warm air that never left his lungs.

A redheaded boy glanced into their compartment through the glass window pane of their door and saw Harry by himself but nervously walked away the moment he'd spotted the snake. In an hour, the news had spread throughout the entire train about a boy sitting by himself with only a poisonous snake for company.

'Can't you let them see you? Just for a bit?' Harry complained when someone peaked through the glass as they walked past, again.

Tom thought to himself for several minutes before he reached a decision. He waited for a moment when no one was looking into their compartment before he appeared for all to see.

'There.' He huffed.

'You don't look any different.' Harry commented but believed his friend and turned to stare back outside the window, watching the scenery in the distance that they were passing. The door suddenly slid open and both boys turned towards the visitor. Salazaria hissed but otherwise didn't move; she was clearly displeased by the sudden noise and interruption.

'I heard you've got a snake in here?' The boy their age asked while eying the snake cautiously. He merely seemed to be interested that the rumors were true and was on his own, judging by the absence of any other student in the corridor behind him.

'As you can see.' Tom answered casually. He was somewhat pleased to be seen and heard by others whilst at the same time he felt a little bit vulnerable to be so out in the open now.

'Is it...tame?' The boy asked and continued to give the snake most of his visual attention.

'It does whatever we say.' Harry answered. 'But she isn't trained, if that's what you mean.' He shrugged. 'She won't hurt you unless we tell her too.'

'Oh.' The boy nodded and wasn't entirely sure what he thought of those words. 'Well, I'm Malfoy by the way. Draco Malfoy.'

'An upstanding pureblood?' Tom's eyes flickered with recognition; this was the son of two of Voldemort's Death Eaters.

'That's right.' Draco nodded proudly. 'Heard of me, have you?'

'Only by reputation.' Tom answered with an otherwise blank expression. 'Please, join us.' He gestured to the empty spot beside Harry.

'And who are you?' Draco asked them curiously as he sat beside Harry. He still watched the snake nervously and kept his distance but Salazaria had settled back down to nap and heed him no further interest.

'I'm Harry Potter.' He answered and observed Draco's surprised reaction. 'And this is my friend...' He let Tom finish his sentence because he wasn't sure which name to give.

'Just call me Thomas.' Tom answered; he was uncertain if the boy knew of Voldemort's name before he had left school but certainly wasn't about to risk it.

'Right.' Draco looked suspicions towards the lack of surname for a moment until he nodded anyway and accepted the answer. 'Well, I hear we'll be arriving soon. Any idea which house you'll be in?'

Harry said nothing; he wasn't sure what Draco was talking about while Tom looked perfectly calm; Harry he didn't want to be the only one who didn't understand.

'Slytherin for myself.' Tom answered.

'I agree.' Draco nodded and decided that he liked this boy now. 'And you?' He turned towards Harry, who merely shrugged and tried to look uninterested.

'Anything off the trolley, dears?' The woman asked as she stopped outside their compartment where the door had been left open by Draco. Harry was just relieved that no one had decided to come and poke their faces into their compartment, or perhaps the idea that the snake could now reach them had kept them away?

'Excuse me, but I must return to my compartment. I'm sure we will be seeing more of each other.' Draco stood and left without a wave.

'We'll take the lot!' Harry said to the lady once Draco had departed and pulled out a handful of galleons as he declared his request. Tom didn't say anything as Harry gathered the sweets, although he eyed the cauldron cakes hungrily as well as the chocolate frogs in which Harry really wanted to share.

Salazaria lifted her head the tiniest bit when she spotted a frog hopping rather close. Her tongue shot out with viper speed and swallowed it whole. The creature quickly gagged it back up with a befouled expression in which the boys found amusing.

'Thisss amphibian isss poisssionoussss.' She growled while Harry just laughed and Tom explained to her the spell on the chocolate. Afterwards she slithered onto the luggage rack above their heads and cast them each reproachful expressions as they ate their food.

--

The rest of the way consisted of silence unless Tom was giving Harry some advice or else explained the sorting process. Harry changed into his robes once it began getting dark and shortly enough, the train stopped at Hogsmeade station barely a moment later.

Tom spelled their rubbish gone while Salazaria caused him to wince as she slithered up his sleeve suddenly to conceal herself. Exhaling, he stood to follow Harry out of the compartment and off the train alongside everyone else. Tom remained visible until McGonagall started talking about house points earning them the house cup; he stepped to the back of the group when no one was watching before he faded away with Salazaria resting upon his shoulders once again.

Harry, like every other first-year, stared around the Great Hall in awe while making his way towards the front. He waited as Dumbledore spoke and Tom pointed out the headmaster to Harry with a look of contempt while he shook his head. Severus turned and watched Harry until Tom pointed him out and Harry turned towards him. He gave the man a small smile and than his attention was snapped back towards the front as Draco's name had just been called.

'SLYTHERIN!' The hat declared after spending only a few short seconds atop the blonde's head. Draco contently moved towards the cheering Slytherin table with a smug grin on his face.

The sorting ceremony progressed and Tom started to get anxious. Salazaria became annoyed with his constant fidgeting and picked up on his nervous mood. She moved to slither onto Harry's shoulder and Tom quickly snatched her back before she could be seen. But it was too late...someone had seen.

Severus had glanced at Harry again for a moment and those few seconds was all he had he needed. He stared as a black snake's head came into view from apparently nothing but thin air as it attempted to slide onto Harry's barely-startled shoulder. And then he saw the hand. It was transparent as it gripped the snake around the neck and pulled it away from Harry; fading both the hand and snake entirely in the process. Overall it had happened in the space of thirty seconds and yet Severus knew he hadn't been seeing things. And he was so focused upon this strange incident that he almost missed Harry's name being called.

'Harry Potter!' McGonagall said and as expected, the entire hall fell silent as Harry made his way to the stool where the sorting hat was going to decide his fate. Tom watched eagerly and moved to sit on the very corner of the Ravenclaw table. He hissed at Salazaria to remain still and even though she was in a foul mood at him for grabbing her, she obeyed. Tom focused on Harry's mind and tried to penetrate it to hear what the hat was saying but had no luck. He just had to wait like the rest of them and Tom hated that; he considered himself nothing alike the rest surrounding him.

'Harry Potter.' The hat said with interest as he was placed on Harry's head. 'Plenty of courage I see and not a bad mind either. There is certainly talent...and the thirst to prove yourself. Interesting'. The hat mused for a moment while Harry remained silent and nervous.

'Yes, your path forward is clear and they will help you on the way to greatness, there's no doubt about that...' The hat parted its mouth and declared its verdict to the entire room.

'SLYTHERIN!'

The hall remained silent until the Slytherins recovered first and started cheering. Tom lifted his head when he heard the declaration and a small smile crept across his lips; a genuine smile that was so unfamiliar on such a face. He yelped (and of course no one other than Salazaria heard him) as his own clothes - from the orphanage and that Harry had given him - turned into black robes with the Slytherin markings, crest and tie. Tom gasped at his uniform for a moment before he jumped off the seat to join Harry over at the Slytherin table; Draco had moved over to make room for the boy-who-lived.

Tom, Draco and Harry were not the only ones surprised and yet pleased by the hat's choice. Severus watched the scene intently and forced himself to appear casual while inside he was immensely relieved. No Potter clone would have been sorted into any house other than Gryffindor, of that he was certain. But also, this way Severus could keep an eye out for Harry without arousing suspicion.

The feast began and no one noticed as Tom snatched food from the table while they ate and obliviously continued to talk amongst themselves. Draco introduced Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle and while Tom paid close attention, Harry's mind shifted through the events of the day and how wonderful his life was finally turning out to be. He glanced over at the staff table and spotted Severus watching him again. Harry raised his hand with a small wave and was immensely surprised when the man lifted a few fingers in an almost-returned gesture.

--

With the food consumed and Dumbledore's speech heard, two prefects stood and led the first-year Slytherins into the dungeons to show them around. During this time, Severus retreated to speak with Dumbledore about what he had witnessed just before Harry's sorting. He kept it brief though, as he was expected in the common room himself to give a little speech; Severus was the only head of house that did this, to his knowledge. And with good reason.

Harry chose the bed nearest the door beside Draco and instantly sank beneath the warm, comfortable covers. He glanced at Tom, who looked around at the other boys with curiosity while brushing a hand over Salazaria softly, apparently unaware of the action.

'You'll have to share my bed. But there is plenty of room!' Harry said and Tom turned to look at him with repulsion. Harry didn't take it personally and only saw the other boy's dislike of sharing anything.

'Where did your friend Thomas end up?' Draco's voice cut off Tom's chance to reply. 'And what happened to that snake? Was it his?'

'No.' Harry raised his arms and watched with amusement as Draco stared at him in shock; Salazaria had just slid out of nowhere to rest on Harry's shoulders as she had wanted to since entering the Great Hall.

'Wicked.' Draco smirked. Harry felt proud because he had shown his new friend that he was impressive and not some boring freak.

'And Thomas didn't get sorted.' Harry added after an approving nod from Tom. 'It's a long story.'

'Oi!' A prefect boy appeared in the doorway. 'Professor Snape wants a word so get down here.'

The first-years stopped what they were doing and reluctantly made their way out of the dormitory. Tom remained behind to search through everyones belongings for anything of interest because he didn't really care for what Severus had to say and this was an opportunity not to be missed. And while performing his task, he had forgotten that Salazaria was still with Harry.

Severus explained the Slytherin rules which were a bit different from the others, such as their self-preservation and ability to stand together as an unstoppable force etc. He explained that if they ever needed to talk, his office was always open although not before curfew, unless it was an emergency. He pretended not to notice the snake on Harry's shoulder, but it was difficult when the others began to gasp and point it out. Salazaria became tense and felt Harry's worry from the moment he realized that the others could see her.

'Husssh ssspeaker. I sssshall not harm them unlesssss you sssay sssso. And they will not approach you with me here and hisssssing at them'. And truly enough, no one dared to move towards him when Salazaria hissed in their direction.

Severus dismissed them at the precise moment that Tom had invisibly re-entered the common room with his hands deep inside his pockets. He stood near Harry and his face formed into a frown when he spotted Salazaria.

'Mr Potter.' Severus said firmly and both boys tensed. 'Might I inquire about the snake?' He raised a daring eyebrow. 'I assume your muggle relatives did not purchase it for you and I do believe that they are not favorable pets amongst muggles.'

'What do I say?' Harry asked Tom worriedly.

'You found her and she took a liking to you.' Tom invented flawlessly while Harry repeated his words to Severus. 'She is trained and will not harm anyone.'

'Is that so?' Severus questioned Harry with narrowed eyes. 'May I test that theory?' He held out his arm towards the snake. He was cautious but had also come prepared because there was a vial of anti-venom inside the closest pocket of his robes.

'Sssspeaker?' Salazaria asked Harry uncertainly while she also understood the professor's gesture.

'Don't speak to her!' Tom said quickly to Harry before he could answer her. 'He'll know. Allow me' He turned to her. '[He is testing your safely. Please act trained and do not harm him or else he may try to send you away.]'

Salazaria nodded her head before she leaned forward to slither onto Severus' arm and moved to lay on his shoulder obediently.

'Thisss human hassss a sssstrange ssssmell about him.' Salazaria said as her tongue flickered at his neck, causing Severus to remain still for a moment. Seconds passed and Severus seemed convinced enough as he extended his arm to return the snake to Harry. He was still somewhat suspicious but saw no other evidence of contradiction.

'[Strange? How?]' Tom demanded to know.

'Familiar.' Salazaria hissed. 'Ssssmells familiar to sssspeaker.' She glanced at Harry. 'But not the ssssame.'

'Off to bed now.' Severus said. 'And I warn you boy, I will be keeping a very close eye on your...pet.'

'Yes, sir.' Harry nodded in relief. 'Thank you, sir. Good night.' He turned and headed back to the dormitory where the others were already settled for sleep.

'You're too polite.' Tom commented as he sat on the edge of Harry's bed and Salazaria slithered into the canopy to rest. 'However, it will work to our advantage. Keep it up.'

Harry glanced at his friend and sighed. 'Tom, not everything has to be that way. Sometimes it's okay to just...I dunno, have fun' He shrugged. 'Snape seems nice enough and I think we can trust him.'

'I trust no one.' Tom frowned with a huff and climbed into bed beside Harry. He was nervous that someone would notice his invisible form that raised the section of the blankets; they may not be able to see him but they can see the sheets covering him. With a disgruntled sigh, Tom forced himself to move closer to Harry to void further suspicion.

'Not even me?' Harry looked a bit saddened by the statement of distrust as he watched his friend.

Tom stared at him for the longest moment before he exhaled and appeared somewhat ashamed of his next admittance.

'I trust you. As much as I can, I suppose.' Tom nodded. 'I mean, I've never really trusted someone before...'

'Well, we're friends now. And friends stick by each other, right?' Harry smiled. 'I won't betray you. You can trust me, Tom.'

Tom narrowed his eyes at that “friend” word again but said nothing else on that subject as he rolled over to face away from him.

'Night, Harry.'

'Good night, Tom.'

And the dormitory fell truly silent as the six eleven-year-old Slytherins slept. Each pondered on what the next day would bring, while their head of house fell into a restless slumber of worry and confusion.