Disclaimer:

I don't own any of the characters used in this...
it's just random crap that invades my head and keeps me awake at night.
Trust me I'm getting nothing from this except the pure enjoyment of the occasional glowing review...

Remember:

/this is a thought/

"This is someone speaking"

IMPORTANT NOTE:

I have edited chapter one!
Ok, not by a lot, just cleaned it up a bit. But the important note
is that Hogwarts' alarm doesn't sound anymore!

The Dragon and The Serpent

------- CH2: -------

(Local: Professor Snape's Potions class)

Snape studied the impetuous intruder, intently. He had never heard of such a thing as the Fire Nation. Though traveling though books was not uncommon. There were hundreds of different methods recorded and practiced within the wizarding community. But for an individual, to which the concept was clearly alien to them, it should have been impossible.

All the students watched transfixed as Zuko's eyes constricted and his eyebrow twitched. Everyone jumped at the bell, which was suddenly 10 times louder with the room so quiet.

As much as Snape hated letting Potter and Longbottom off the hook for failed potions, this afternoon he had no choice. "Class dismissed," he growled ferally, keeping his gaze focused on the intruding Fire Prince. /Of all the classrooms . . . he had to appear in mine/

"STOP!" Zuko commanded as he took in all the people his age slowly gathering up their things. A pair of female Gryffindor's had actually made it to the exit door.

With a great demonstration of his agility, Zuko dropped to the floor in a flaming spin kick successfully distracting the one in charge with the trail of flames aimed at his feet. Then he vaulted over a table to land in front of the stunned girls to blockade their escape. Fire encasing his fists he slammed on the doorframe leaving a charred indent. "I demand that whoever it was that summoned me here to send me back NOW!"

Snape stepped forward. Iterated beyond compare. As much as he despised his students most of the time, he still felt obligated to protect them from this fiery pest. "Prince Zuko," Snape forced the name though his gritted teeth. "I can assure you that none of my students summoned you. As incompetent as Longbottom is, no potion can summon another living being. Something else is at factor here which I fully intend to dump in the Headmaster's lap as soon as you cease using your fire magic and allow my students to pass!"

Zuko would have cringed if it was in him. But instead he kept his glower even with Snape's. This man obviously knew nothing. Sneering Zuko puffed up at the ability to educate this man who was supposedly an instructor. "It's Firebending, only ignorant peasants use the terminology 'magic'."

A collective gasp resounded through the student body mixed with a Gryffindor or two who had to bite their tongues to keep from laughing out loud at seeing their most hated Professor turning three different shades of purple.

"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"

------- I am section brake -------

(Local: Bookshop in the Random Free Port in the Earth Kingdom Territory)

"Good Sir, your Nephew really shouldn't be back there." It had only been fifteen minutes, but the overly jittery fellow wouldn't let the matter drop no matter what smile or laugh Iroh wore to ease the tense shopkeeper.

"Nonsense. Why you'd be pleasantly surprised at the volumes my good nephew has read. Topics that have encompassed…" Iroh paused in his spiel as an unfamiliar wave of fire chi radiated from the back of the store. A chill that he hadn't experienced in years, an inexplicable parental fear, gripped his heart and he warily whispered, "Prince Zuko?"

Wei Rui, could feel his feet rooting to the floor as the realization dawned on him that the Prince of the Fire Nation was not only in his shop, but browsing through his collection for the Revolutionists. Wei Rui wanted to scream, cry, hurl, murder and disappear all in the same instant. Why him? Why now? And, by the names of the Gods, why did it have to be one of the most powerful and influential benders in the world?

Both elder gentlemen gasped as purple flames licked the ceiling and the strangled voice of a young man in distress filtered though.

"PRINCE ZUKO!" Iroh barreled into the shelves and stacks of books, not caring about their value, only about reaching his nephew. He was not prepared to witness Prince Zuko dematerializing into purple fire wisps radiating from the book laying open on the floor. Stunned the great ex-general sank to his knees. Slowly his hands found their way to the metal dagger lying askew on the book. Idly pulling it from its sheath, Iroh's eyes never even saw the inscription "never give up without a fight."

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(Local: Hallways of Hogwarts)

Ron, Hermione, Harry, Neville and the rest of the Gryffindor's had taken off at a run to get out of the irate professor's classroom.

At the top of the stairs out of the dungeons Ron just could not hold back any longer and ended up leaning against the wall for support while he laughed his head off. "That was so bloody incredible! Did you guys see Snape's face?"

At the memory Harry and Hermione were soon also clutching their sides as they laughed with their friend.

"I thought Snape's head was going to explode!"

"Well he certainly looked as if he was suffering from a massive brain hemorrhage!"

The group laughed for several more minutes before they had the composure to start walking again.

"You suppose he's a real Prince?"

"Well, why wouldn't he be?" Harry gave his best friend a sideways glance after wiping the extra moisture from his eyes.

"I dunno . . ." Ron shrugged. "It's just . . . What are the odds of a Prince from some obscure nation appearing out of nowhere in potions like that?"

The three turned when they heard Neville's quiet voice.

"I feel so horrible . . ."

"Now Neville, it isn't your fault," Hermione proclaimed sternly.

"But . . ."

"No buts," Harry cut in. "Hermione's right. It can't possibly be your fault, there has to be something else behind his appearance."

"I wonder where he really came from." Ron got the group walking again. "Do you suppose all them fire bender types mark themselves like he does?"

"The real question is how he got in," Hermione stated. "Hogwarts is supposed to be defended from anyone being able to appear on school grounds like that."

The boys gave Hermione a surprised look.

"Oh come now seriously, it's in "Hogwarts a History". Don't tell me you all still haven't read it." She gave an exasperated sigh and shoved past them.

"Wait! Hermione! The Great Hall is this way."

"I'm not going to the Great Hall."

"But what about lunch!"

"I'm going to the library. We need to learn about Fire Benders and time traveling though books before Herbology."

"Hermione we don't need to learn everything before Herbology . . ."

But, before Ron could finish his last statement Hermione "humphed" and turned her back on her friends.

With a heavy sigh Ron looked to his best friend. "She's impossible, that one." Nodding, Harry agreed as they both passed through the doors of the Great Hall.

------- I am section brake -------

(Local: Professor Snape's Potions classroom)

Zuko lay stunned and enraged upon the floor. Some how that bastard had him completely immobile. No bending from what he could make out. Only a shout and a flick of a stick. /Of all the queer objects to use/ Frustrated rage coursed through the prince's body igniting his core. He wanted to yell! To rise up and burn the flesh off the other man's face/Wait./ Zuko's mind stalled on the horrific thought that one had to have an intense hatred for another to burn off their face. /Father . . ./ his mind began, only to be quickly sidetracked by the prick in black. /This is NOT the TIME to think about that! I have to rise up and defend myself/

Breathing deep, Zuko focused on his inner fire. And the harder he focused on it to expand out the more he could feel the whatever-it-was entangling him. Slowly he shifted his focus from lashing out with his fire to burning away the mysterious tendrils. It wasn't as easy as he thought it should be and Zuko could feel his sweat turning to steam from the exertion he was forcing his body through.

------- I am a page brake -------

Snape glowered disdainfully at nothing particular while he circled the hapless prince on the floor of his classroom. He was seething at the boy, as well as himself, at the moment. "I'm sure you think you are pretty clever and already know everything, but there is more to magic than summoning and wielding a fireball." Here, Severus stopped his predatory pacing to look the boy in the face. "AND HERE IT IS CALLED MAGIC NOT YOUR SO-CALLED 'BENDING'!"

Snape had intended to continue on, to fully unleash his anger (with something along the lines of "Whoever heard of such a foolish word to describe magic!"). But he had to stop. Somehow, by the grace of Merlin, the boy was beginning to twitch in arrhythmic and unnatural ways. "Just what in the hell do you think you are doing?"

"Burning though your strands of magic bending," came the muffed and strangled reply. And in pure fascination Snape watched for a moment as he took in the fact that the boy was doing just that. He saw the steam rising from the boy and it dawned in him that the steam was just the boy's sweat evaporating as it hit his skin.

/Curses to hell! This boy better not be killing himself/ None to gently Snape kicked the boy in the ribs. Satisfied with the heated glare the boy gave him he cut straight to the point. "Look, I have no idea how you managed to end up in my classroom; not by my choosing I assure you. This is a matter for the Headmaster to deal with. And if you can shut up and act somewhat civilly for 15 minutes I can take you to him and you can be his problem to deal with."

"You didn't summon me here."

"No."

"You have no idea how to return me?"

"No."

A bit of hopefulness found its way into Zuko's voice. "This Headmaster person can?"

"He better," Severus finished sourly. He wanted this boy gone as much as the boy wanted to go!

Zuko nodded as much as he could. "Fine. I shall refrain from taking further action against you so that you may lead me to your Headmaster."

An exasperated sigh found its way from Snape's throat as he released the royal pain from the curse. Ignorance, whether intentional or not, was just one of those things Snape could not stand. And Prince Zuko was very ignorant of this world and the ways of Hogwarts.

------- END CH2 -------

Author's Rant

SOOO SOORY for the long wait!
so yeah.. my idealistic dream of updating this every month isn't going to happen. Gomen.
But now that I have the plot worked out I hope it isn't so long for the next chapter!
Eh, who am I kidding... I write slow and I'm moving across the country in the next few months...
Yeah I cut this chapter in half... once again, sorry.

So you all will just have to wait for the next chapter to read about Zuko meeting Albus and discover what he's doing there and results from Hermione's research and what house Zuko will be put in. Grins evilly

THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING! Reviews really do help to push me into writing more...