By BEWD Sorcerer

Statement of un-ownership: Own not. Claim not. Lie not. I must not tell lies. Right? XP

AN: Oh, dear. I think I'm about to pass out now. It's nine till five in the morning. #headkeyboard#

After much twiddling of thumbs, writing a few sentences on all sorts of stories and plotbunnies, watching insane amounts of anime and HP mvs, reading all the TR(LV)/HP fics I can find and even some HP/SS fics, I have finally sat down and miraculously finished writing this chapter! #cheers# Hopefully that will happen to some of my other fics soon. #crosses fingers#

"Speech"

"Link Speech"

'Parseltongue'

#Thoughts#

To Be Possessed... is to have someone with a plan.

Realizing how warm and comfortable I am isn't helping Tom's insistence that I need to get up as I snuggle into the soft bedding. I'll get up when Aunt Petunia wakes me up. Growling, Tom huffs and suddenly I feel very weightless even as I belatedly realize that my center of gravity keeps shifting... as if I'm walking.

Sighing, I start to sink back into unconsciousness... until freezing cold water jolts me completely awake. I regain control of my body reluctantly as I stand with my pajamas still on in the shower, cursing Tom under my breath even if I don't really mean it. Having been years since I was last punished for my insolence, I had forgotten how cruel he can be.

After removing my pajamas and showering, I dress in the robes Tom had so thoughtfully brought for me and get ready for my first day of magical schooling.

#Shift#

Waking up early has given me the chance to explore my new home with Tom directing me to all the most important spots, but now it's time for breakfast.

People once again are staring at me as if I were about to do some crazy trick that they'd miss if they didn't watch me every single minute. Because of this I believe I've found a new appreciation for eye-gouging. If they have no eyes, they can't stare. Tom's chuckling in my head, making me amused rather than aggravated. Lovely thing about our position.

Taking a deep breath, I block out everything else around me and focus on my food.

#Shift#

Draco is pouting because of our single-mindedness at breakfast and continues to do so even as we sweep through the halls, dodging the pesky poltergeist and slower students. Tom suggests that we teach the foolish ghost a lesson, but that will have to wait for a good time when Snape isn't breathing down our neck like he is right now.

Our blond companion notices the great bat finally and fights down a bright smile with difficulty. They must know each other from some time before, but this doesn't concern me currently even as I turn to face him.

"Professor Snape, do you need something?" My voice is completely emotionless and this fact confuses and intrigues him, so says Tom. He would know, being the Dark Lord and talented Legimens. Snape just glares and Draco glances between us, worried. "No? Then we need to get a move on or we'll be late for Charms." I sweep off the way we had been heading, leaving Draco to catch up.

He slips in the classroom just before the bell rings, appearing as calm as usual, but I can tell he's upset. What could the old bat have said to upset him so much? One look from him at me tells me all I need to know for now. It's all about me.

#POV Shift# T.T I'm SORRY!

For the most part, the first week was amusing, the teacher's reactions in particular. Flitwick's tumble, McGonagall's lip-pursing, and Quirrell's joke of a promising class all made him snort. It would be all too easy... except for Potions.

Snape's weak attempt at making him a fool had no doubt been the most amusing reaction of all, besides Dumbledore's, but the fact that he had dared challenge his knowledge despite being of Slytherin House did not bode well for the Potions Master when Lord Voldemort rose again. The fool had even ignored his godson's advice on dealing with Harry and if he kept it up then he would be in deep shit sooner rather than later.

Lord Voldemort was not pleased with Severus Snape.

Unlike with his darling host, who calmly answered Snape's questions completely, making said Potions Master ticked. No Potter would outsmart him if he had any say in it, so Mr. Potter got homework, lots of homework, lots of hard homework that fourth years would have difficulty completing.

Imagine his surprise when the next day there is a neat stack of homework that he'd assigned only one student all properly done and a note from his precious godson swearing that he watched as Mr. Potter had done all his homework and deliver it with the threat that if he didn't give his friend proper credit that there'd be Hell to pay.

This only ticks him off more, so every class Mr. Potter in loaded down with homework that becomes increasingly more difficult. Little does he know that this avalanche of homework is just training Mr. Potter even better, saving Voldemort the effort of assigning potion work to his host and then grading it.

Draco is still upset with his godfather even after Harry's assurances that he is just going to learn all of it anyway, but Severus just keeps assigning more and more, which meant less and less sleep for Harry.

When Draco woke to find Harry still working on homework for the third day in a row, he decided it was time to get to the bottom of his godfather's bullheadedness.

#Shift#

Doing his best to ignore the darkness encroaching on his vision, Harry forced himself to exit the last class of the day with dignity, ignoring the persistent hand on his arm. Draco had become more and more protective every day and he wasn't the only one. Something had happened for Tom to distrust the DADA teacher, Professor Quirrell, and he refused to explain why - said it was a good test for Harry. So every class, meal, and chance, he observed carefully without seeming to and kept his ear out for any information through the grapevine about the stuttering wreck.

Earlier that week they had had the first Flying class that had almost turned into a fiasco if he hadn't stepped in and returned Longbottom his Rememberall. Weasley was really starting to grate on his nerves with his "Harry Potter is supposed to be a Gryffindor" speeches that even the ever patient Madam Pomfrey was getting sick of that she was practically forced to endure every time the redhead 'accidentally' hurt himself giving said speeches to said supposed Gryffindor.

Finally shrugging off Draco's hand once he had sat down for dinner, Harry heaved a great sigh and once again ignored Draco's insistence that he eat more than the few bites he normally managed to shove down his throat. Draco wished every day for the solution to his friends' edginess and his Head of House's distaste for his best friend. The whole situation was ridiculous, but no one else gave a damn, leaving it in the young Malfoy's hands completely.

It was Halloween, but that didn't mean a thing to Harry - just a boring, mandatory feast with the rest of the school. Huffing, annoyed, he started eating, silently listening to the gossip calmly being passed around the table with the food. Apparently, Granger, who he had seldom seen outside of Potions class, had overheard the youngest Weasley boy making fun of her and had locked herself in a bathroom stall since the incident. It wasn't her fault that she had no friends in her House because she had proved wrong a popular (among other Ravenclaws) Sixth Year the first day back. Maybe he should have a talk with her?

Malfoy nudged him in the ribs rather ungently, but at least it pulled his attention back to the present, where Professor Quirrell had just fainted in the middle of the Great Hall. One millisecond of silence passed before nearly every student screamed and tried to en masse be the first out the door before the Headmaster called them to order. Really, how could approximately two hundred and eighty students fit out the door that are only about two yards wide?

At least the old coot can calm them so that they don't kill each other trying to save themselves. They shuffled out the doors, heading for their dorms, but then Harry remembered a certain brunette that was still missing. Pulling his blond companion away from the crowds, they only had to lock gazes once for the other Slytherin to know exactly what Harry was planning on doing.

"Just don't get us killed," Draco murmured as they slipped down a deserted corridor.

"I'll try not to, but I can't promise anything," he chuckled, heading with unerring certainty straight towards the girl's bathroom on the third floor.

"How do you know where she is?" the blond asked as they rode the moving staircase up one level.

"Because that's where Pansy complained the living twin of Moaning Myrtle was, weren't you listening?" Harry clucked his tongue as he shook his head in mock-shame.

"That's what I should be asking you. How do you manage to hear Pansy whining about the Ravenclaw know-it-all, but completely miss Quirrell the Squirrel busting in and squealing about there being a troll in the dungeons?" Draco scoffed, blushing slightly.

"I heard the important information, thank you very much." When he saw the dubious look on his fellow Slytherin's face, he decided to expound. "Honestly, we were perfectly safe in the Great Hall. I don't know what Dumbledork is thinking, sending us out into the school where some innocent First Years could get lost in this maze, especially Slytherin First Years such as ourselves, and run straight into the vicious troll who is coincidentally wandering around in the dungeons which is our territory. I mean, honestly, does he think we're stupid enough to not realize - " Harry stopped mid-rant, and dragged Draco into the nearest shadowy cubby, silencing him with a hand over his mouth.

They had just reached the third floor, but standing right in front of the girl's bathroom was a large, grubby, extremely foul-smelling creature that Harry knew could be nothing else but a mountain troll. A glance at Draco revealed that his friend had come to the same conclusion he had. The troll had left the dungeons - possibly never having been down there in the first place.

A scream pierced the air, startling the two First Years into action, running straight into the now open bathroom door where a very familiar bookworm faced the troll. With a single mental hiss from Tom, Harry levitated a large piece of stone debris the troll had knocked from its place and dropped it on the troll. Unfortunately, said troll swung its club at Granger, moving just enough to avoid a one-hit knockout, but enough to switch its attention to the other two occupants of the bathroom.

Cursing under their breath, Harry and Draco flung themselves in opposite directions to avoid being clubbed by the enraged mountain troll. Draco tried a Stunning spell, but it had no effect on the troll's thick hide. The blond dodged another of its attempts at bludgeoning him to death.

"Don't try any direct spells! We need to knock it out with a physical blow to the head!" Harry shouted as he made his way to the witch's side. "We need to each levitate a heavy object above his head and on three drop it!" The other two nodded and chose a couple more chunks of debris. Smirking, Harry waited until they were in place before snatching the club right out of the troll's grasp. It looked up stupidly, searching for its weapon.

"Three!" Whap! Clunk! Donk! A chunks of wood, stone, and the club hit the troll's head, successfully knocking it out so that it slumped onto the broken stalls. One particularly sharp, vertical piece managed to pierce its body, showing only as a protruding lump where the students could see it, but the slowly growing pool of blood and stench of iron indicated it wasn't natural. Another hiss from Tom had Harry shielding the view from the shaken witch at his side as he lead her out of the wrecked lavatory and straight into a group of teachers.

'Out of the frying pan and into the fire,' Tom huffed in irritation, but Harry could feel his pride. 'You did wonderful for a First Year, but you'll have to work harder than that to become my Dark Heir.'

'Aw. And here I was thinking I was doing well towards being your Dark Concubine,' Harry mentally whined, half joking and fully enjoying Tom's sputtering.

"Mr. Potter, what do you have to say for yourself?" Professor McGonagall's voice snapped him back to his surroundings. Doing his best to seem like the brave hero the Wizarding world expected of him, Harry met her eyes determinedly.

"Hermione didn't know about the troll and the teachers were supposed to be in the dungeons, so we didn't think there'd be any danger. Of course, when we arrived and she was in danger of being bludgeoned to death at any moment, we couldn't just leave her, so we intervened," he explained very calmly. "I doubt she would be here with us now had we run off to find a teacher." McGonagall nodded in understanding, though her lips were still pressed thin.

"Ten points to Slytherin. Now go back to your dorms. No detours this time," she commanded sternly, but there was a softness in her gaze as they scurried off. Once they had made it to the first flight of stairs, they stopped.

"You don't have to follow me to the Ravenclaw Common Room, you know," Hermione murmured demurely, missing the shared glance between Harry and Draco. Taking the few required steps forward, each took one of her arms in theirs and started leading her in the correct direction.

"Of course we don't have to - " Harry began mischievously, grinning like the Cheshire cat.

" - but I'm afraid we can't let a girl travel these dangerous corridors alone - " Draco continued solemnly, imitating his father in all politeness.

" - especially not after encountering such a dreadful creature, such as Weasley - I mean, that most nasty mountain troll." Cackling in a most evil way, Harry directed them behind a tapestry to a hidden staircase.

"It's just not done, you see." Draco nodded, finally giving in and mirroring his best friend's expression.

"It would be terribly rude of us - " Looking quite concerned, the Slytherins loosened their grip on Hermione just enough to jump the step before them and ridiculously (with much over exaggeration) pull her over the odd trick step that most people tended to forget.

" - and completely uncalled for as we are Slytherins - " Twin smirks and devious looks were traded over the brunette's head.

" - and that is kind of what we pride ourselves in - " Pulling her along a bit faster, twirling as they floated along the corridor, footsteps silent on a rug, a rarity in Hogwarts.

" - besides the obvious: cleverness, ambition, evilness - the whole nine-yards!" Spinning her around quickly, they finished together and posed, leaning against the frame of a rather large, if plain, mirror. Hermione had to smother her giggles with both her hands over her mouth, shaking her head at their silly antics.

"Come talk to us if Weasley bothers you again - " Stepping forward, Harry calmly started, looking surprisingly serious.

" - or anyone bothers you - " Draco continued his line, also the perfect picture of solemnity.

" - or if you just like basking in the presence of Malfoy. Merlin knows what sorts of things will rub off on you if you hang around him long enough. It could be anything from an increase of physical beauty or at least style to constant hang-nails, you never know!" Smacking his friend upside the head, the blond pouted spectacularly.

"Is that all you think of me?" Draco mock-wailed as Harry ignored him to smile disarmingly at their newest friend, who was still laughing as quietly as she could manage.

"Well, time for bed. See you tomorrow, Hermione. Sweet dreams," the black-haired boy chirped as he made his way down the hall leaving Draco to hurry along after him. Smiling, the girl whispered the password and went in, not noticing the sly smirks on the two boy's faces.

"Think it worked?" They resumed their movement, hoping against all hope that they don't get into any trouble.

"I know it did." Another shared glance.

"Eexcellent."