Foreword:

This story is a mixture of an original concept as well as influenced ideas. Emeralds for Snakes is part one of two or three stories centered on Harry and his quest to save the wizarding world, as well as achieving his goal of having his own family. This story will kick off with the introduction of an original character who will become a major player in the second part of this series, however will be minor at best in this story. This story is inspired by the works of Dorothea Greengrass, Sinyk, James Spookie, Colt01, CaskettFan5, Shygui, LeadVonE, and all others who write such excellent stories on this website.

I will say now that there may be some similarities to stories written by the aforementioned authors. This is intended as a compliment, and I do not aspire to steal their work, or from their work. Emeralds for Snakes is intended to be between 20 and 30 chapters long, chronical the Hogwarts years, and will be relatively uneventful especially in the first three years. I will be cutting out a lot of canon material, and including some canon material. Voldemort will be present although will not be the main antagonist for the entire series, I feel there is only so much that can be done with Voldemort, and a lot of that has already been accomplished. There will be character bashing, and no character will be safe from it. This will be a multi-POV story, though most all of it will be Harry's. I do have the final pairings mostly decided, however as characters develop I may change minor pairings. Major pairings are already decided and will not change. I do not intend to have characters almost immediately get paired with their final partners, and because of this, there will be parts where you will like certain characters one moment, and dislike them (hopefully) at others.

I have an intended word count goal for each chapter of 8-10 thousand words, and as such, please expect six to eight weeks between updates, as I am not used to writing so many words, and it will require time and effort. Being the father of a ten-month old, as well as having work and other responsibilities does not afford me all the time needed to get good long qualities chapters out on a weekly or biweekly basis, though if I can get a chapter out sooner, then expect it as soon as it can be posted.

A special thank you is owed to TheRainyAbe who did the beta work on this chapter.

I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I own any work or references you may recognize. I am joining this rather crowded sandbox built by JK Rowling, and don't intend to leave, sorry.

Prologue:

Madurai, India, October 31, 1979, unnamed hospital room, approximately 23:56

The sounds of a woman screaming in pain permeated through the hospital ward. Her screams were even heard outside the room. Twelve hours earlier she had been brought to the hospital by her husband after she felt a very distinct feeling of wetness down the inside of her legs. This was a moment they both had been expecting since June of last year, but was nevertheless frightening to the two of them.

The next several hours of labour pain was the worst feeling she had ever experienced. Each contraction she felt seemed like it was going to split her in half from the waist up, and with the blood her husband could see while standing next to her, he thought that she was actually being split in half.

The doctor came into the room once an hour, pronouncing her at each check to have dilated another centimeter, though to the woman, it was akin to torture. The nurse then told the woman what was expected of her as she pushed. With each contraction, she screamed and pushed with all her might, but the child was not coming out. The doctor came in thirty minutes before midnight, and after seeing the woman push two more times, decided that it was time to take drastic measures. He attached a vacuum to the head of the infant trying to enter the world, and on the next contraction pulled with all his might, while the mother pushed.

They were rewarded for their efforts by the sound of a newborn baby crying moments later after the umbilical cord was cut and the newborn air passages suctioned out. The mother collapsed back on the bed, breathing heavily, her darker skin was slightly pale, and sweat and tears streamed down her face. Several minutes later she felt the placenta exit her body, along with another stream of blood and other fluids. Her husband had left with their newborn to view the infant's first bath, as well as ensure that nothing was wrong with the infant after the dramatic last several hours.

The new mother was patched up, having just delivered into the world another life and moved from the delivery room to a recovery room. Moments later her newborn was brought to her, and immediately placed against her chest. The mother pulled out one of her breasts as she had been taught by the midwife, and helped guide the little one, who while was not able to see all that well was able to locate the areola and with help from his mother, latched on and began feeding for the first time. She had a smile on her face, feeling the tugging of the baby as he fed on her. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, and more tears began to well up in her eyes.

Her husband stood by her, assisting her with everything she asked for. His excitement was palpable, and he could not beat down the feeling of pride in his newborn son. They had no idea what was instore for them though, with the birth of this child. They had no idea that in a world they knew nothing of, a prophecy was being made at that moment, a prophecy that had implications that were most dire to the world at large.

This prophesy was being made in the presence of who was known as the most evil and dark wizard of all time, Lord Voldemort. Voldemort however was less concerned with the prophesy than he should have been, because if he had been paying attention he would have known that at that moment, a child was born that would either aide him, or be his complete destruction.

In the recovery room of the hospital, a newborn child received his name, Eustace Ravi Narayana, and the next ten years of his life would be years that his parents could not have known would bring to them so many fears, nor as much joy.

June 8, 1984, an unnamed village in the Indian peninsula, south of the Nilgiris

Eustace was running through the woods, a smile on his face, He had just been playing with some of the other children in his village when he felt a tug to go into the brush. After several minutes of walking, not fully knowing where he was going, he found a drop off. Around him were trees, entwined with vines and the sounds of insects and other wild life. The nearly five-year-old boy was not afraid however. He saw the boa constrictor next to one of the trees, and knew that it was this snake that he was being pulled to. He started to approach the snake when he thought he heard a voice. The voice was slightly high pitched, disembodied, and flattering. It told him of the greatness in his heart, at his core. Reaching the snake, Eustace let out a loud scream and the world went black.

Eustace awoke several hours later next to the cliff, not knowing how he got there. He stood up and ran back to the village as fast as he could, crying, but why he could not tell. He was scared, and like any other child needing the comfort of his parents.

When he arrived back at the village, the sight that beholden him was frightening to say the least. The buildings were all burned to the ground, he could see bodies all around, some burned, others dismembered. He slowly approached his home, now screaming out for his mother and father.

He entered the remains of the only home he knew in his young life, and fainted at the sight. There, in the middle of the ruins, was his mother and father, both clearly dead, dismembered, and their heads staring blankly towards the door.

By the time Eustace regained consciousness, the military and police from a major city had arrived and were investigating the destruction. Eustace was the only survivor, having not been in the village when it was destroyed.

He was taken to an orphanage in Madurai.

November 5th, 1986, Kiaan Orphanage, Madurai, India

"The boy has always been a little off. He was found in a ruined building with who we are assuming to be his parents, murdered in brutal fashion. We were not given the details, and we do not know what he saw, but he has always been silent." The mother of the orphanage was showing the couple a picture of Eustace. He was dressed smartly in a blue pinstriped suit, though it looked like it was old even in the picture. He hair was combed to the side, framing his face nicely. For a seven-year-old boy, he looked very handsome indeed.

The woman smiled at the picture, "Could we meet him?"

"Certainly, but I need to let you know, strange things happen around him sometimes, usually after one of the other boys has been picking on him. One time we had a boy swear to us that he was thrown bodily into a wall without any contact. Another time, one of the boy's pants randomly caught fire," The mother said, as she got up to go and retrieve Eustace from his room.

The couple looked at each other, neither showing any surprise at the mother's revelation. They knew perfectly well what Eustace was, what they didn't know is what it would do to Eustace to reveal it to him. They knew at that moment though that adopting him and removing him from India was best for the child, that way he could grow and let his powers of magic manifest. It was only two more years until he would start at Hogwarts, and be able to overcome the demons of his past.

Mother and Eustace returned moments later, Eustace was wearing a light grey t-shirt that seemed to be a bit loose on him, blue jeans, and a slight but shy smile. The boy didn't say anything, but everyone could read the excitement on his face, his hope that he may finally be able to have a family. Something he had lost four years ago without any explanation.

The couple looked at Eustace, and then looked at Mother. They both decided then that no matter what, no matter the cost, and no matter what laws they had to break, Eustace was returning to Britain with them.

"Hello, Eustace," the woman smiled at him, speaking softly, "We would like to introduce ourselves. My name is Mahiti Patil, this is my husband, Santhana. We would like to know if you wanted to be a part of our family."

Eustace's eyes lit up, the couple in front of him really wanted him to be a part of their family? He had no idea what to do, nothing to say to that because he feared to speak. He only nodded, and allowed the grin he was hiding to show itself. It was a very toothy grin, and seemed just a little out of place on his otherwise straight face.

This time Santhana spoke, "We also have two daughters who are just a little bit younger than you are, they are spending time with their grandparents now, but here's a picture of them. This one is Parvati, and this one here is Padma. They're twins, and they'll be your little sisters."

Santhana handed the picture to Eustace, and made a motion that he could keep the picture with him for now.

Mother spoke at that point, and told Eustace to go back to his room while she spoke with the Patils, and that he should probably start getting ready to leave. Eustace flashed another smile and ran off, knowing that he now had a family. A new mother, father, and even something he didn't have before, siblings. He already loved all four of them, they were taking him away from here and bringing him into their family.

April 15th, 1987, Patil household, Outer London, near Surrey

Eustace was in the backyard playing with a toy broom. He was on it and zooming around the fenced and warded yard. No muggles around the home in the northern part of Surrey could see anything going on. Parvati was standing outside watching her now older brother zoom around, a look of wonder in her eyes. Padma was inside studying, like she always did.

The broom that Eustace was on didn't go more than about two feet off the ground, but was fast enough to test his reflexes. He zoomed by Parvati, trying to make a sharp turn and accidently hit Parvati in the back, knocking her over. He crumpled to the ground, the force of hitting the girl and how fast he was going was too much to resist falling. He stood up, unharmed, but looked at his sister. She was crying on the ground, her arm obviously broken.

Eustace just looked at her for another moment, and without saying anything turned and ran into the house to get Mahiti.

July 24, 1990, Patil household, Surrey

An owl landed in a tree outside a household in the northern part of Surrey. It was early morning, around six fifteen. If anyone paid close attention to the owl, they would have noticed that tied to its leg was an envelope. The envelope was made of a pastel ivory looking paper, and seemed to be pretty thick. Written in a brilliant green ink were the words:

To Mr. Eustace Narayana,

First floor, second bedroom

Surrey, London, England.

On the back of the envelope there looked to be a coat of arms. It was an ornate looking kite-shield shaped emblem, on the top left corner was the image of a roaring lion, beneath that was a badger, next to the badger was an eagle, and on the top right was a serpent. These images surrounded the letter H which sat in the middle of the shield. Beneath the shield were the words draco dormiens nanquam titillandus, which translated to Never tickle a sleeping dragon. Wise words to live by if you asked anybody who would know.

The owl was waiting for some sort if indication of life inside the house, and after just a few minutes of waiting, a window in front of the owl opened, and the face of a boy appeared in the now open window. Eustace scanned the sky and then lower, only just to notice that the owl was divebombing him. So, it seemed at least. Just before the owl hit him, it stopped and landed lightly on the windowsill. Eustace started at the owl in wonder. He knew what this was, he had been waiting silently and patiently for two years now, since his parents had told him that he would be attending this school when he turned eleven years old.

He had been eleven for several months now, and with a grin on his face, he removed the envelope from the owl, gave the owl a treat he had next to his window just for this occasion, and let the owl fly off. Eustace went to his desk, picked up his letter opener and sliced the top of the envelope open. He pulled out two pieces of heavy ivory parchment. Opening one, he saw the following words:

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mr. Narayana,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Eustace's eyes lit up with joy as he read the letter. It signified that he would most definitely be attending, and mum said that they would handle the owl to inform Hogwarts of his impending attendance. Eustace turned his eyes to the other piece of parchment that came out of the envelope, picked it up and unfolded it. Inside it read:

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

Three sets of plain work robes (black)

One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)

by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic

by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory

by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration

by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi

By Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions

By Arsenus Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

By Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection

By Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS

ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK

Yours sincerely,

Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus

Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions

Eustace gathered up the envelope, letter, and supply list, stood up and hurried to the ground floor to get breakfast and show the letter this his parents and sisters. They would be up soon, and Raimi, the house elf would have started breakfast already.

September 1, 1990, Platform 9 ¾, Kings Cross station, London

Eustace looked at the scarlet steam engine in front of him in wonder. He was left, unsurprisingly to his family, speechless by the sight. They had yet to hear him utter a single word since his adoption nearly four years ago, and according to the lady who ran the orphanage, he had not ever spoken while there. They had learned to understand him by his eyes and body language however.

His mother could see the excitement and wonder in his eyes, and it brought a smile to her face. The train would be leaving in ten minutes, which was enough time to give him a hug and say good-bye. As she reached over to Eustace and pulled him into a tight one arm hug, Parvati wrapped her arms around him and gave him a tight hug as well.

"You need to write us lots of letters and tell us all about the castle, brother!" Parvati squealed, letting Eustace go and stepping back. This created room for Padma to give her brother a hug and a smile.

"Good luck brother, and we will see you at Christmas," Padma, always the calmest of the three, said.

Eustace smiled at his sisters, but didn't say anything. His eyes however spoke volumes, and he was grateful for their support. The two girls had immediately latched onto their brother when he joined their family, much to their parents' amusement and joy. Eustace returned each hug in turn, and then squeezed his mother and made eye contact with his father.

Sanathan Patil smiled down at his son, and opened his arms. Eustace jumped into his arms giving him a big hug, backed away and smiled back. Sanathan helped Eustace get his trunk onto the train and into a compartment. In the compartment were two other students, one a girl with mousey brown hair, who looked to be the same age as Eustace, and the other a boy with dark brown hair, who also looked to be about the same age. They smiled at Eustace and Sanathan.

"Hi, I'm Katie, Katie Bell, and this is Cormac McClaggen. We're first years too," The girl introduced herself and the boy. Cormac looked Eustace up and down, smiled and nodded in greeting.

"I am Sanathan Patil, and this is my son, Eustace. He is just starting at Hogwarts as well." Sanathan looked at both first year students as if sizing them up. After a moment, he smiled, gave Eustace another one-armed hug, and left the compartment. Eustace turned back to the other two and smiled at them, then took a seat next to the window across from Katie. Eustace watched as Katie picked up the book she had been reading when he and his father walked in. It was titled Almost Heaven. Eustace didn't recognize the book, and stared at the cover of the book which had a blonde woman in a green dress on it. The author's name was written across the cover at the top along with the words #1 New York Times Bestselling author, which told Eustace that it was a muggle story.

Cormac returned to his book titled Quidditch Through the Ages, which Eustace had seen at home, though he hadn't read it. Eustace didn't have any interest in the sport, he was more of an academic prodigy, or so he thought. Eustace felt slightly out of place however not having a book of his own out to read, so he stood up and climbed onto the chair so he could reach his trunk.

The book that he pulled out was a fiction book written by the squib J.R.R. Tolkien entitled The Samarillian, which told the creationism story of his other works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Eustace sat down, opened to his marked page, he was just about 100 pages into the story, relaxed in the seat and started reading. The train jerked and started moving.

September 1, 1990, several hours later, Hogwarts Great Hall

Professor McGonagall guided the small class of new first year students into the Great Hall, down the middle between the house tables. They were in a double line, with girls on one side, boys on the other. The house table on the far left had students with red trim on their robes, next to them were students with yellow trim. On the far right side students had green trim, and next to them students had blue trim. Eustace studied the hall further and saw that there was a stool with an old tattered looking hat. The hat was in front of another table that was perpendicular to the house tables. This table sat the teachers, and at the center was an old man with waist length white hair and beard. There was a twinkle in his blue eyes and a slight smile on his face.

Professor McGonagall signaled for the lines of students to stop, and proceeded up the two stairs and stood next to the hat. She held a rolled up piece of parchment in her hands and stood there waiting patiently, along with all the other students staring directly at the hat, for something to happen. Suddenly the brim split and the hat broke into song:

I've done this job for centuries
On every student's head I've sat
Of thoughts I take inventories
For I'm the famous Sorting Hat.

I've sorted high, I've sorted low,
I've done the job through thick and thin
So put me on and you will know
Which house you should be in...

By Gryffindor, the bravest were
Prized far beyond the rest;
For Ravenclaw, the cleverest
Would always be the best;

For Hufflepuff, hard workers were
Most worthy of admission;
And power-hungry Slytherin
Loved those of great ambition.

While still alive they did divide
Their favorites from the throng,
Yet how to pick the worthy ones
When they were dead and gone?

So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!

The hall broke out into applause as the hat ended its song and went silent. Once the applause ended, Professor McGonagall unrolled the parchment and started calling names. The first name she called was one that Eustace recognized…

"Bell, Katelyn," McGonagall called out, and Katie calmly strolled up to the hat, and sat down on the stool. The hat paused for a moment and seemed to analyze Katie.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted, and the students on the far left who had red trim on their robes, started clapping. Katie hopped off the stool, removed the hat and returned it to Professor McGonagall and nearly skipped off to the Gryffindor table.

After a few more students were sorted, a cute Asian girl was called up by the name of Cho Chang. She was sorted into Ravenclaw. It took several more minutes before another name Eustace recognized was called, this time it was Marietta Edgecombe. He recognized the name because he had heard his father talking about the Edgecombe family in reference to his work at the ministry. She was also sorted into Ravenclaw, and took a seat right next to Cho Chang.

Several minutes later, Cormac McClaggen was also called and sorted quickly into Gryffindor. Two more students were sorted before:

"Narayana, Eustace," Professor McGonagall called out.

Eustace slowly approached the stool and sat down. When he sat down, the hat was put on his head and fell down his face, covering it. He heard a voice whisper into his ear, "Hmm, interesting mind. There's tragedy here, and some fear. Do not be fearful you will find your path here at Hogwarts. There's ambition, oh yes, I can see it clearly in your head. You have a certain intelligence I haven't seen in nearly fifty years, you would do well in Slytherin or Ravenclaw…"

Eustace sat there listening to the hat's voice muttering in his ear, trying to determine where to put him. His thoughts turned towards his adoptive parents and his sisters, and that seemed to be the trigger the hat needed.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"