Author's Note: Damn Drucilla and her 51 reviews....

Sorry about being so very lazy about getting this up for those who actually read this. I've been rather busy doing nothing, of course. That being the entire purpose and point of Winter Break after all, right?

Also, the meanings of the small snippets in French found in this chapter are translated at the bottom.

********

Towards the end of the first week, Harry was rather amazed that Snape was a good 15 minutes late to Potions.

His movements remained the same but something seemed slightly different about him for a brief instant and then it was gone and he couldn't decide whether he had imagined it or not.

He nudged Ron who had fallen asleep while waiting.

Ron groaned. "No more homework."

"No, potions," Harry whispered.

"Oh," Ron said blinking his eyes.

"Something the matter, Mr. Weasley," Snape said in an unpleasant purr.

"N-no, sir," Ron said softly.

"Good," Snape said and began a lengthy lesson on the misuse of potions in history.

********

George and Fred were half-way through lunch by the time a bleary-eyed Ron led Harry

and Hermione to the Gryffindor table.

"Good morning, boys," George said talking around the food in his mouth. "And the missus as well."

Fred snorted and hid his face in a napkin.

Hermione fixed George with a glare, eyes almost blazing in annoyance.

George had the good sense to look regretful. "Sorry, Hermione."

Hermione grunted and sat down.

Ron raised an eyebrow and circled the table to sit between Seamus and George. Harry shrugged and sat next to Hermione.

"Seen the new Slytherin?" Fred asked once he had regained his composure.

"Slytherin?" Hermione said with interest.

George pointed to the Slytherin table at a young man who looked about 16 with almost shoulder-length black hair and odd tufts of white hair on either side of his pale cheeks. He was dressed oddly enough a white room embroidered on the sleeves with spidery silver thread. He already had a Slytherin sweater on along with a time in the house colors.

Draco was speaking to him hastily but the boy seemed rather uninterested. His blue eyes, as pale as a newborn puppy, brightened as they lightened on a large raven that swooped low and landed next to him on the table.

"He looks rather old to be just starting school," Seamus said looking over to the table.

"Silly git, he's not a first year," George said shrugging with a sleepy lack of interest. "He's a sixth-year and he's in our potions class...oddly enough."

"His name is Pimento something I think," Fred said pondering what it had been. The kid had spoken rather softly so he wasn't sure.

Hermione rolled her eyes at Fred.

Harry looked at the raven.... "I thought we were only allowed to have...well, certain animals."

"He's from France. Bet he's a ponce," Fred said smirking.

"Honestly," Hermione said gathering her things. "You two are so insufferably stupid and rude."

She left the room in a huff.

"She does have a point," Ron said shrugging and going back to his food.

"Awfully good-looking," Parvati said practically drooling.

"You would think that wouldn't you?" Neville said. He sounded a bit down in spirits after losing Trevor for the countless time this week.

"Invest in a leash maybe, Neville?" George offered with a smirk.

********

Ron and Harry went to the dungeon to see Snape about help with the next day's homework assignment. He seemed to be assigning more and more of it.

Harry sighed. He hoped next year was easier so far as homework for Snape was concerned.

Snape was busy talking to the Slytherin they had seen at dinner over what he had missed.

Snape seemed a bit out of sorts as he explained what the student needed to do.

The Raven perched on the edge of the desk and squawked following over to Harry and landing on his shoulder.

Harry raised an eyebrow and stared at it as it stared at him a bit warily.

"Morgan, non. Allez ici, s'il vous plait," the boy said softly glancing over at the raven.

Ruffling its feathers in a way almost akin to a sigh, she flew back to her master and landed on his shoulder still glancing back over at Harry from time to time.

"I'm sorry," the boy said in English but lacking any accent whatsoever. "She gets like that. I guess she just wanted a good look at you. She heard about Harry Potter being here but obviously didn't believe me."

Despite a hint of amusement, Harry could pick up on no ridicule. Either this boy was very slick with subtleties or there were simply none to be found.

Ron looked at the boy suspiciously in a manner akin to the raven glaring up at him.

Snape rose from his desk and stared at Harry.

Harry resisted the temptation to look down. Maybe Ron was right about just pleading with Professor De L'Enfant for help.

"Can I help you two?" He asked with a suspicious glance at each of them obviously doubting their motives for making an appearance here in his classroom.

"We...were wondering if you could help us with our homework," Harry replied feeling guilty of something.

He hadn't done anything, but oh well. Snape had a wonderful way of making him feel guilty for breathing.

Snape sighed. "Very well, Potter, Weasley. Go set up a cauldron and I'll be with you shortly." He sounded very put out by this idea.

Harry nodded and pulled Ron after him.

"Could have just asked her," he muttered as they set the cauldron up.

"Will you be quiet about her?" Harry said in an irritated whisper. "She's a professor for one and two we need him to at least tolerate us. So for now, he can help us with our homework if you don't mind."

"No need to be moody," Ron said glumly.

"Now then Mr. Ammon, if you read up to here, I think you should be caught up. I will let

the homework slide for now provided you turn the next assignment in on time," Snape said turning away from them wiping the scowl from his face.

Snape spoke to the other student in a more approachable manner in spite of saying the last name with a great deal of hostility.

Startled, both Harry and Ron paid no attention to the flames under their cauldron and the

sleeve of Ron's robe began to catch on fire.

Harry gasped being the first to notice it and began looking around for something to put it out with. He nudged Ron in the ribs.

"Yow! Why'd you--Ah!!!" Ron began flailing his arm in the air trying to put the fire out.

Snape sighed cursing his miserable lot in life under his breathe, and stalked over to them. The other student dissolved into chuckles. Even the raven Morgan snickered at them.

Harry ducked and moved away from Ron who was panicking and knocking things every which way.

Snape muttered something under his breath before raising his wand. "Perfusus in aqua."

Ron was suddenly drenched by at least a gallon or two of water which put out the fire but left him and the floor surrounding him sopping wet..

"Bete garcon," The raven said flying above them and cackling.

"Oui, c'est vrai," Snape replied shaking his head in disgust as he regarded Ron.

Ron turned as red as his hair but not with embarrassment, he looked simply furious in the way that only a wet cat or a soaking wet boy whose been picked on by an obnoxious professor can.

He stormed out of the classroom and Harry was forced to stay behind to listen to a lecture on classroom decorum when Snape was finally done talking to the Slytherin.

********

Harry was a bit surprised to see the new student waiting in the hallway when his lecture was over.

"I just wanted to apologize to you and hope you could tell your friend the same," the boy said with a congenial smile that lacked any sort of hidden malice. His voice was almost as melodious as Snape's but far more cheerful.

Harry nodded a bit dazed. A nice Slytherin? Couldn't be...could it?

"Ummmm....no problem."

The boy held out his hand politely, "My name is Galeno Ammon by the way. Sorry for not introducing myself earlier. And I do apologize for Morgan. She learned to speak some French and hasn't stopped being a pain since."

Harry grinned.

"Nah, that's neat. Ron, my friend, was just...err...well, Snape tends to annoy him to begin with," he said quietly so Snape couldn't hear.

Galeno nodded. "See you tomorrow then I suspect. I have so much to read by tomorrow."

Harry nodded as well. "Have a nice night." If such a thing was possible in Slytherin.

"I'll try," the boy said with a smile before turning on his heel and walking off to his dorm.

Ron was still carrying on when Harry got back though his robe was dry. Hermione was

hiding a smile while Neville and Seamus nodded sympathetically to his plight. He suspected that's what they had been doing the whole time Snape prattled on about cauldrons and the noisy, rude students who used them.

"There you are," Ron said with a glare. "Stayed to laugh with the crow and Snape I imagine."

"Ron," Harry said shaking his head. "First of all, it's a raven and second of all, Snape hates me more than you. So no."

Hermione burst out laughing before hiding her face in a book entitled: The Potions You'll Use by Dr. T. Goose.

********

Severus sank into his desk after Harry left frowning at the ceiling and then at the floor.

It was just his luck that Jarod would send the boy here. The fates must have been gloating somewhere above his head.

Seeing the young man his nephew had become was....a bit of a shock though almost pleasant which made it difficult for Severus to understand.

He looked so much like his father, so much like he had once upon a time. A time only he could probably remember. Even before the child was born.

Severus didn't think he could ever forgive his brother for leaving. His brother would certainly never forgive him for being the first to go.

Ammon, how cute, he mused angrily snarling at the memories Galeno's face has stirred which had made yelling at Harry difficult.

Ammon meaning "the hidden" in Egyptian.

Hidden.

He couldn't remember a time when he wasn't hiding....him or his brother.

So why here?

Why now?

Why send their only child here where his cruel, Deatheater uncle could all the more easily eat his heart for breakfast?

Where that insufferable Potter was sure to inflict the wrath of Voldemort and.....

He almost fell off his chair. Voldemort.

Had Jarod known? Was the child merely an instrument of his brother's revenge now? If....if it came to that, Snape would rather let himself die then his nephew who he had only through the aid of a raven, his raven, the one thing that Jarod had let the boy keep that Severus had ever touched shortly before the boy had turned 5.

Severus winced in pain that stopped sort of marring his face.

Morgan swooped into the room while he remained almost bent over in agony.

"Bete homme," Morgan sang out in a shrill voice.

"Most assuredly," Snape muttered recovering and leaving the dungeon.

********

TBC

French translations:

"Morgan, non. Allez ici, s'il vous plait." : Morgan, don't. Come over here, please.

"Bete garcon." : Stupid boy.

"Je sais": I agree.

"Bete homme" Stupid man.

As was pointed out in my last review, "imbecile" or "idiot" would be more appropriate and would have been more logical. I don't really know what to say except that's what Morgan wanted. Ravens are odd creatures....

More French will probably follow in proceeding chapters mostly in regards to Morgan. And I will try to force Morgan to speak more logical snippets of it.....:]

Any other mistakes in my French will however be almost entirely my own fault. For which I apologize in advance.