24

Chapter 23

Shot stared at the data her bots had mined. Eyes scanning quickly, she absorbed the details of a young orphan named Tom Marvolo Riddle, born 31 December 1926 at Wool's Orphanage in London; there were also few details about the unsolved murder of a family by the same surname in the summer of 1943 in a town called Little Hangleton, but details were scarce about both topics.

She wasn't entirely certain why she had decided to trawl the muggle world as well, but Vahan had ordered her to be thorough, and it went against the grain to cut corners. But that boy… She studied the face of the young man, perhaps thirteen years of age, as he stood with the other children for the group photo out the front of the dilapidated orphanage. The bots had searched for him since there were records of a Tom Marvolo Riddle attending Hogwarts between 1938 and 1945. As Head Boy and with an excellent academic record it was odd that the boy had disappeared seemingly without a trace after a brief stint working at Borgin and Burkes.

She frowned in thought, he may be completely unrelated, but there was something that niggled at her and she knew better than to disregard it. Her gift worked in odd ways sometimes, and even though the connection wasn't immediately apparent, she knew there was something there.

Taking a huge bite of her mashed egg, mayonnaise and barbeque sauce sandwich, she settled in to adjust the search parameters and start digging.

Harry scowled at the snake and Warthog. The two were bickering - again - somehow managing to communicate by using him as a medium, despite him being completely removed from the conversation.

The snake, who had so far refused to be named since apparently such things were degrading, was hissing insults about lumbering fur covered monstrosities with delusions of importance, and Warthog was retaliating with comments about useless belly crawlers unable to even move out of danger if it got a bit chilly.

He sighed, and wished that they could argue without using his head as a resonance chamber.

"Alright, that's enough," he finally interrupted, grimacing slightly at the odd echo as Warthog used their connection to translate his Parseltongue into English. "Snake, you informed me that your venom is second only to a Basilisk, and that regular exposure can grant me immunity to most poisons. Can you elaborate on that please?"

Snake settled into a coil, head raised as if to strike. "I would have thought that to be self-explanatory. If I'd known you were stupid I would have stayed at that dreadful shop."

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose, ignoring Warthog's smug chuckle at his frustration. "I was asking you to go into more detail, if you're able. What kind of snake are you? Why is your venom so special? How does it work?"

If snakes could scowl, Harry had no doubt that Snake would have a truly fearsome one levelled at him at that moment.

"I am a hybrid. My father was a Nædre, my mother was a Seps. Are you familiar with these species?"

Harry frowned, and summoned Swit from the Library to bring him a book on magical reptiles. Thanking the elf when she returned with the requested book, he quickly flicked through to find the relevant sections.

"Ok, so a Nædre is a British native similar to an Adder; it's known for its hypnotic colour changing eyes, and its venom is constantly changing which makes it extremely difficult to treat. Sometimes known to crossbreed with other magical snakes which produces highly intelligent offspring that can reach astonishing sizes." He paused, looking up at Snake. "Is that accurate? Not much is known about them, they seem pretty reclusive."

Snake dipped its head, flicking its tongue out passively.

Turning back to the book, Harry flicked to the section on Seps. "Highly dangerous, the Seps venom is extremely corrosive and will dissolve not only flesh, but also bone with ease. Untreated, a single bite will reduce even the largest prey to slurry in under five minutes. There is no antivenin, and the only successful treatment for a Seps bite is a hasty amputation of the bitten limb. Living Dragon Hide is the only material known that is strong enough to resist the corrosive effects of the venom, though once removed from the Dragon, it is as vulnerable as any other fabric." Harry threw a startled look at his snake. "Slurry? Really? That's… gross."

Snake hissed a laugh. "If you say so. I personally quite enjoy it."

Harry looked slightly green. "So, since you're a hybrid, does that mean your venom is a combination of the two?"

Snake nodded smugly. "Yes. Which is why regular exposure to my venom will provide immunity to nearly every poison in existence."

Harry eyed the snake narrowly. "Alright, I get that, but how do you know all this? I mean, I get that being a Nædre hybrid you would be intelligent, but that doesn't always equal knowledgeable. And this is all pretty specific information."

Snake undulated in a way that could be interpreted as a shrug. "I am very old, and you are not my first Master."

Warthog hissed, growling as she settled closer to Harry, tail lashing angrily.

Snake laughed. "Relax, fur ball. I'll not take your place."

Harry grinned as the cat dropped her head possessively onto his lap, silently demanding pats. At nearly adult size, her head was huge, filling his lap and sending a dull ache through his legs from the weight.

"So how often should I milk your venom? And how should I be exposed to it without turning me into a Slurpee or burning a hole through my skin?"

"Once a week to keep up with any changes in my venom. A single drop should be diluted into a litre of fluid - purified water is best. Merely add three drops of this dilution to your drink once a day with your largest meal."

Harry's eyebrows shot up. "A single drop in a litre of water, just to take three drops of the mix per day in another fluid?"

Snake nodded. "I'd suggest giving some to the Brat Cat too, just in case."

Nodding, Harry made a mental list of everyone he would give some to. He saw no reason to leave anyone in his immediate entourage vulnerable.

"I'll check with Marcel to make sure that it doesn't interfere with any other standard potions that I might be given in an emergency. Would you be willing to donate some extra venom that we can experiment with?"

Nodding agreeably, Snake headed out the door to the Manor grounds, tired of being inside with the smelly fur beast and disappointingly stupid Speaker.

Harry and Daniel drifted haphazardly down Diagon Alley, window shopping while Sergei and Alex trailed them discretely but tried not to interfere. The boys chattered away excitedly, gushing over the odds and ends that caught their interest, rushing from store to store in childish glee.

The men traded an amused glance, pleased to see their boss acting his age for once. They knew that it was mostly an act, but not even Harry could fully fake that level of enthusiasm.

"I bet you'd be brilliant at flying," Daniel was saying, waving his hands around animatedly as they walked away from the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies and the newest broom displayed therein.

"Why do you say that?" Harry asked, nibbling a piece of chocolate and not bothering to mention his twice weekly flying sessions with Draco and Connor.

"Well, you're always super graceful, and you pick things up so quickly! I bet if you watched a game of professional Quidditch, you'd be able to fly like them right away! I've seen you watch people do things or read about them in books and then do it yourself just as well in no time flat, so why would flying be any different?" Daniel grinned, turning around to walk backwards in front of his friend.

Draco and Lucius had informed Harry that he was indeed flying at near a professional level, but Harry didn't see anything special about it. He hadn't even studied it beforehand, it just seemed to come naturally. Shrugging he chewed the last of his chocolate. "Maybe."

Glancing up, Harry saw Sergei signal that the man he wanted to speak with was in the alley across the street.

"Hey Daniel," he turned back to the younger boy. "Can you grab us a seat in Fortescues? I just need to do something quickly."

Daniel frowned, not pleased to be ditched for some mysterious errand. "I could come with you, I don't mind." He looked up hopefully.

Harry shook his head. "It's fine, I'll only be a couple of minutes. Alex will go with you. Get me a sundae, yeah?"

Pouting, Daniel agreed and followed a quietly amused Alex to the bustling ice cream parlour.

Harry turned and swiftly made his way into the alley, Sergei close behind. Somehow, both men managed to move effortlessly through the crowd, blending in and evading notice even as they slipped between and around the oblivious shoppers.

Stepping into the shadowy alley, Harry sauntered up to the dealer he was here to see.

"Mr Fink, I presume?" Harry eyed the man, unimpressed. Average height with sweaty brown hair and shifty eyes, the man clearly used more of his product than he sold.

"Who's asking?" Fink snorted, looking down his nose at the well-dressed boy in front of him.

"My name is unimportant. I was sent to speak with you by our mutual employer." Harry smiled to himself as the blood drained from the dealers face. It was entertaining to know that even the mention of him could inspire such a reaction.

"Look man, I don't know what you were told, but I ain't done nothing wrong. Been selling like I agreed! Paid the designated percentage up the chain and everything like I was supposed to!"

Harry shook his head. "Mr Fink, don't bother lying to me. We know every bit of product that goes out and where it goes to. We know exactly how much profit each shipment should return, and any deviation of that leads to questions; questions that I specialize in finding the answers to. And I already have my answers. I know that you have been taking the product yourself, and offering copious 'samples' to your friends. I know that you've been skimming the profits and charging your customers above the instructed rate." Harry's voice lowered from its brisk businesslike tone to a mocking purr. "You were warned, Mr Fink, when the first payment came up short. You do not get another chance."

In a blur of movement, Harry shoved the man against the wall and drew his knife, thrusting it into Fink's gut. With a vicious twist, Harry pushing it deeper and higher, puncturing his stomach and nicking an artery before pulling the blade free with a jerk.

Standing back, he casually cleaned the blade on a strip of fabric as he dispassionately watched the dying man sliding down the wall and slumping onto the ground.

"It didn't need to come to this, Mr Fink. Vahan looks after his people, and the better they work to his interests, the better he rewards them." His voice chilled. "But he does not look kindly on people attempting to avoid their obligations or break their agreements." Squatting on the balls of his feet over the fallen man, he cocked his head and watched placidly as his latest victim began to struggle against the darkness heralding the end of his life.

"Our word is our bond, Mr Fink," Harry whispered as the last traces of life fled the prone man's eyes.

Standing, Harry stepped from the alley and blended into the passing crowd, his blank faced guard in tow.

Daniel leaned back morosely in the booth he'd managed to secure with Alex's help, distractedly poking at his ice cream.

"Is everything alright?" Alex asked neutrally. He had a good idea of what the problem was, and wasn't entirely certain he wanted to be the one to deal with it. Amazingly, Daniel was still oblivious to Harry's darker tendencies and Crime Empire, and his boss wanted it kept that way. Explaining that the younger boy hadn't been ditched to meet another friend on a day reserved for the two of them would be irritating since he couldn't exactly say that the ten year old boy was off gutting a drug dealer who'd stiffed him less money than he gave Connor a week for pocket money.

"It's not fair, you know?" Daniel whined. "I mean, we used to go to school together and hang out all the time afterwards, but now aside from lessons and a 'scheduled day' like today I barely see him. And then he runs off to do whatever when he's supposed to be spending time with me. I mean, I'm his best friend, right? Why couldn't I have gone with him wherever it was he went? And I know he's hiding things from me. It's not fair!" He gave a particularly vicious stab at his confection, scowling heavily.

Alex sighed silently. When he'd first signed up with Vahan, he'd thought Daniel to be an excellent stabilizing influence on his young employer; but as time went on he could see that the youngest Andrews was becoming possessive and jealous, even going so far as to throw his weight around a bit with the Nestlings before being moved to The Haunt. Fortunately the Ghosts were older and made of sterner stuff, merely ignoring him and reporting to a suitable adult as instructed when he got too pushy. In all honesty, despite the Malfoy boy being a tad sycophantic, he was a much more suitable friend for the tiny entrepreneur.

"I mean, what is he even doing? Why couldn't I go too?" Daniel whined.

Alex scanned the room, and almost sagged in relief when he saw Harry and Sergei approaching.

"I was picking up something for you," Harry grinned as he dropped into the seat next to him, and pushing a small wrapped box over to him.

Daniel lit up, tearing open the wrapping and pulling the lid off the box. "Is that…" He breathed, shocked.

"The snitch used at the last World Cup, signed by the winning Canadian Seeker Howard Barton? Yes, yes it is. I knew you were bummed that you couldn't go to the match, so I thought you'd appreciate a souvenir at least."

Harry choked slightly in shock when Daniel threw his arms around his neck, hugging tightly and wrinkling his suit.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He babbled, bouncing in his seat as he let go of his stunned and highly uncomfortable friend.

"You're welcome," Harry muttered, and turned to his waiting sundae, scooping a large spoonful into his mouth. He winced at the instant brain freeze.

"Harry!" A voice called, drawing their attention.

Draco darted through the crowd until he stood next to their table, Lucius and Narcissa following sedately behind.

"I didn't know you were going to be here today! You should have said, and we could have met up!" The platinum blond grinned, eye eyes sparkling excitedly.

Harry coughed slightly. "Hello Draco. Lucius, Narcissa." He inclined his head politely to the elder Malfoys. "I hope you are all well?"

Draco's eyes dimmed slightly, and he drew himself back behind his stoic Malfoy mask.

"We are well, Harry. And yourself?" Lucius drawled, eyes flicking over Daniel curiously.

Harry nodded and offered a bland smile. His eyes darted to Draco quickly, then back to the adult Malfoys. "I'm well, thank you. May I introduce Daniel Andrews?" He gestured to his companion. "Daniel, this is Lucius Malfoy, his wife Narcissa, and their son Draco. Draco will be attending Hogwarts with us. He'll be in my year."

"Oh, you'll be attending Hogwarts as well? It's good that you'll already know someone there when you start. Harry here is excellent about looking after his friends. I'm sure you'll have no trouble." Narcissa smiled at Daniel, her expression as warm as her social mask would allow. She did so like children; it was a pity that there was no chance for Draco to have siblings.

"Yes, ma'am." Daniel nodded, then eyed Draco warily. "How long have you known Harry?"

Harry frowned slightly at the odd note in the boy's voice. He wasn't sure he liked what he thought he was hearing.

Draco noted the faint frown, and quickly realised that this Daniel character wasn't aware of Harry's other activities. He smirked cockily. "Oh, a while. We're pretty good friends. What about you?"

Daniel's eyes narrowed slightly. "We've been best friends for years."

The blond boy twitched slightly at that revelation. He couldn't help the stab of hurt at those words. Harry was his best friend, and he'd thought it was mutual. "Lucky you," he murmured blandly. "He's a good friend."

"You don't have to tell me that," Daniel gritted his teeth in a false smile.

Harry sighed slightly and rolled his eyes at Alex.

"Sorry I didn't let you know I'd be here, Draco, but I promised Daniel I'd spend the day with him. I'm sure you understand."

Draco nodded amiably. "Sure. I mean you see me all the time, it wouldn't do to neglect your other friends." He raised his chin arrogantly and smiled at Daniel, showing a few too many teeth to be completely friendly.

"I'm glad you understand," Harry interjected before Daniel could explode. He traded a look with Lucius and Narcissa, nodding politely. "It was lovely to see you again; we'll have to catch up soon."

"Certainly," Lucius responded, catching his meaning and making a mental note to review the relevant reports and finances when he got home.

The party watched the Malfoy's leave and make their way to the counter to order.

"Who was he, Harry?" Daniel asked, turning a possessive glare onto the older boy.

Harry's jaw tightened marginally in annoyance. Daniel had been treading a fine line for a while now, and if Harry wasn't so closely involved with the other members of the family he would have cut him loose months ago.

"He's a friend. He lives near one of my Father's properties." He noted the flair of jealousy in Daniels eyes and mentally groaned. He'd known a visit to the wizarding world today was a bad idea. If he hadn't needed to deal with Fink he would have insisted on going somewhere muggle. Maybe that amusement park Connor had been obsessing over lately.

"So, you see him pretty regularly then?" Daniel's attempt at nonchalant questioning left a lot to be desired. It was a pity that his love for deductive observation and reasoning had tapered off over the last few years; he was slipping badly, especially since he was giving away his agitation by tapping his finger on the table.

Harry sighed. "Does it matter? What's really bothering you?"

Daniel scowled, stirring the melted remains of his ice cream aggressively. "I just don't like him, that's all. He seems like a real prat."

Harry sniggered slightly as he spooned the last bite of his sundae into his mouth. "Oh, he can be."

As they stood to leave, Daniel frowned at Harry's chest. "Oh, you've got a drip of something on your tie."

Harry glanced down, cursing mentally when he saw the tiny spot of blood, and a second partially concealed by his suit jacket. "Just a bit of strawberry topping." He smiled gratefully as Alex flicked a cleaning charm at him.

As they left, Daniel frowned slightly as he wondered how Harry had gotten strawberry topping on his tie; wasn't his sundae chocolate?

The next time Harry saw Draco at Potter Manor for lessons, the first words out of the blonde's mouth were who was that kid? I don't like him; he seems like a real wanker.

Harry stifled a grin behind a bite of his apple.

The weeks after Daniel met Draco were filled with passive aggression and possessive demands for time and attention that Harry tolerated with barely concealed irritation. After Daniel demanded that Harry not go to Potter Manor for his usual lessons, but send Connor on his own, he decided it was time to have it out with the younger boy.

"Daniel, what's going on?" Harry asked as he closed the door of the sitting room at the Haunt. He had a feeling Daniel might start getting destructive, and didn't want the office trashed.

"What do you mean?" Daniel wandered around the room, fiddling with random knick-knacks and eyeing the soothing paintings on the walls.

"Daniel," Harry said firmly, pinning the younger boy with a stern look. "Don't play dumb, it doesn't suit you. What's eating you?"

Daniel huffed and threw himself in the chair. "It doesn't matter."

"Daniel," Harry snapped. "Just spit it out already!"

The youngest Andrews glared at the floor, jaw twitching as he clenched his teeth spasmodically.

Narrowing his eyes, Harry leaned back in his chair and folded his hands across his stomach. "Fine, if you won't tell me what the issue is, I'll tell you what I've observed, and reach my own conclusions. Feel free to jump in and correct me at any time," he mocked lightly. "Firstly, you seem to resent the time I spend with Connor, though you've never really commented on it one way or the other, merely trying to exclude him from any time we spend together outside of lessons. This has become more noticeable since you met Draco and realised that I have friends other than you and the Ghosts and Nestlings. Next, since meeting Draco you've been doing your best to keep me with you, to the point of trying to get me to avoid my responsibilities to my Father and Family. Your excuses have become completely ridiculous too. I mean, last week it was that you hurt your ankle and needed help getting around - as if you didn't live with a Healer who could fix that for you in less than a minute - and today it was that you baked too many cookies with your mum and didn't want them to go to waste? I'm not stupid, and I don't appreciate being treated like I am. I also dislike being treated like a possession." He eyed the still sulking boy, then continued. "So, my conclusion is that you are jealous of Connor and Draco. What I don't know, is why. Care to fill me in?" He fell silent, waiting patiently.

Daniel scuffed the toe of his shoe in the carpet, before shifting slightly. "Alright, yes, I don't like how much time you spend with them. I mean, Connor's just your adopted brother, it's not like he's really part of your family. And your dad just dumps him on you and Mr Charleston and Mr Petrikov! Your dad's never around, so it's not like you're close to him or anything. You don't owe him anything if he can't even be bothered to do more than give you money to spend! I mean, you were adopted nearly two years ago now, and I've never even met you dad. I've never even been to your house, even though I'm your Best Friend! I mean, I know that your dad owns the Nest and the Haunt, but that's not the same thing. You don't live here with us anymore. So yeah, I don't get why you care so much about Connor. He's just like the other kids who your dad took in." He jumped to his feet and began pacing, waving his arms around in agitation as his voice rose. "And that Draco kid! You said he lived near one of your dad's properties and his dad was your dad's business partner or something, so you see him all the time. So what? He was acting like you were all buddy buddy rather than you just having to entertain him because your dad makes you. It's sickening! He acted like he was your Best Friend, like he had some sort of claim on you!" He took a deep breath to continue his rant, but stopped short when he caught sight of the thunderous look on Harry's face.

"How dare you," Harry's voice was a low threatening growl. "How dare you tell me who makes up my family and who doesn't. We may be friends, but Connor is my brother, whatever you may think. It doesn't matter that he was adopted. So was I! I don't know why Father chose to make him my brother rather than just his ward like the other kids, but he did, and I'm glad. I don't care what you think or say about it, I love my brother! He's special, and he's mine. You're my friend, yes, but he comes first, and I won't tolerate you dragging him into this or taking your foul mood out on him! As for Draco, hate him if you want, it makes no difference to me. But you need to accept that I have other friends and responsibilities, and being my oldest friend does not give you the right to dictate my other relationships! So you need to get over this, because I won't cater to it any longer!"

Harry stood and stalked to the door, pausing with his hand on the doorknob. "Daniel," his voice was calmer, but no less firm. "I'm grateful to everything that you and your family have done for me, but I can't, won't choose you over Connor and my Father; any more than I would expect you to choose me over your own family." With that, he strode through the door and closed it behind himself with a resounding click that sounded ominously final in the ringing silence.

Harry strode into Fortress, still fuming over his argument with Daniel. How dare that little twat try to dictate to him?

Storming into the training room like a metaphorical thunder cloud, he moved to the targets and started throwing knives at them, the heavy thunk as each sunk into the canvas covered wood a steady beat that underlined his thoughts.

How dare he! Thunk.

That arrogant - thunk - possessive - thunk - foolish - thunk - little boy!

He took a deep breath, trying to regain control over his temper. He had an overwhelming urge to go and torture someone to death to work the anger out of his system, but he didn't want to be that sort of leader. Those sort of people tended to draw too much attention and ended up with their underlings rebelling and trying to kill them. So he stayed at the targets and threw knives until his arms ached and his fingers were blistered and nicked from the blades. And then he threw some more.

Finally, he became aware of his audience; Connor, both Malfoys, his Hounds, Shot, Warthog, and Snake. Even his Heralds were perched around the room, watching curiously.

Sighing, he scrubbed a frustrated hand through his hair, oblivious to the blood he'd just smeared on his forehead and through his hair.

"Sorry about that," he murmured.

"Bad morning?" Lucius enquired casually.

"Something like that," Harry nodded. "I don't know about you guys, but I really don't think I should be sparring or anything today. What do you say we go do something completely different? We can go to the cinema, then do some muggle shopping? I need a few things anyway, and Connor needs some new clothes, he's outgrowing the ones he has."

Draco and Connor lit up at the idea, practically vibrating with excitement.

Turning to his father, Draco put on his best puppy dog eyes. "Please, Father, may we go?"

Lucius rolled his eyes indulgently. "Only if your mother comes too. I refuse to deal with her sulking if we go shopping without her."

Draco jumped and pumped his fist in the air with a whoop, ignoring the reproving look Lucius shot at him. "Harry, can I borrow an owl?"

Harry waved negligently. "Use Portent; I can't be bothered convincing Minerva into taking a note." He scowled slightly at the thought of the owl. She was fast, no doubt about that, and she protected her missives viciously against anyone except the intended recipient, but coaxing her to actually take a letter was frustrating and usually involved a substantial bribe.

Draco grabbed a self-inking quill and scrap of parchment from Alex and quickly jotted a note, being careful to use his best handwriting and proper formalities. His father had been drilling him relentlessly in preparation for Hogwarts, and insisted on proper form at all times.

Holding up the note, he smiled when one of the ravens swooped down and grabbed it from his fingers, winging her way out the door. The Heralds fascinated him, and he was pleased that they consented to take a note for him since they usually refused anyone except Harry.

Turning back to the rest of the party, he eagerly joined the conversation about what they should go see at the movies.