The Serpent’s Blossom

A/N: Ah, welcome to another rewrite of one of my stories. I started this fic young and inexperienced, which produced a very immature story that was soon too full of plotholes to continue. However, Nova and her gang have been bothering me relentlessly since. Therefore, I offer a new version of the story, completely different storyline and changes in characters. Hopefully, it will enthrall you! This is set in Harry Potter’s seventh year instead of Post-Hogwarts.
Warnings: Angst, Slash, Violence, HBP Spoilers
Pairings: HP/DM, RW/HG, SS/OC, OC/OC
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters and ideas are not mine. The original characters, races, and the situations are.

Dedicated to Ashley, my strongest supporter for the story. Happy birthday, babe.

Chapter 2
Faint

“So… You go to Durmstrang.”

“Went.” Nova scowled a little at Harry, arms folded. “Because of your ruddy war, I’ve lost my Headmaster and probably won’t get to return to school until well after the year has started, if they accept me back at all. I was barely accepted in the first place because I’m female. Do you know how hard it is to get a job without a full education or at least an apprenticeship?”

Harry scowled back. “It’s not my fault.”

“Oh, of course not. You’re just a poor little boy against the world…”

“Hey, that’s not-”

She lifted a hand, dismissing him as she glanced off. “No. You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m just…a bit stressed right now.”

“You think?” Harry shot back, a brow raised. She frowned.

“Get the bloody pole out of your arse, Potter.”

They glared at one another for a bit, silently seething. Harry understood it was just the stress of everything getting to him that made him bite back at her every word, but that didn’t stop him from feeling resentful towards her. Especially since he knew that all of it really was his fault.

“Don’t make that face.”

He looked up at her, raising a brow. She sighed and stepped over to sit down next to him.

“Sorry. I tend to be a bit harsh. Cat tells me it’s my worse quality.”

“Cat?” If they weren’t going to talk about Dumbledore and her purpose there, Harry rathered they talked about something instead of insults.

“My manager, Catherine Malfoy.” Nova shrugged a bit. “She’s kinda become a weird older sister for the band.

“Malfoy!” Harry felt himself go instantly back on alert. Nova blinked a little before realizing.

“Oh, don’t worry,” she said quickly. “She’s not affiliated with the family much. Last time I checked, only her father, Cassien, speaks to her. The others think she’s an embarrassment to the family.”

Harry relaxed a bit, growing more curious. “What did she do?”

“Renounced the Malfoy tradition of muggle hatred and joined a muggle recording company.”

“Oh.” He could do little more than blink at that explanation.

“Yeah…Really pissed her uncle off. He’s head of the family, Lucius Malfoy, though I heard he got arrested.” She kicked her feet a bit, glancing up at the ceiling. “Real cheerful bint. I expect her to pop up at some point and bother us.”

“She could follow you?” Harry asked, suddenly wary of someone with more evil intentions finding him through Nova’s presence.

“Cat has an uncanny way of knowing where the four of us are…“ She paused, then added, “She’s discreet, so don’t worry.”

“Worrying seems to be a habit,” Harry admitted quietly.

Nova sat down beside him, looking down at her feet. “Look, just to get this out into the open, I don’t know why Dumbledore sent for me. I don’t know how I’m suppose to help you or what I have that other, more powerful wizards don‘t.”

“It’s okay,” Harry responded softly. “He obviously saw something, so… We’ll figure it out.”

Nova glanced up at his face for a few moments, searching, then gave a small, barely there smile.

“Yeah,” she agreed. “We’ll figure it out.”

She pulled out her wand and absently flicked it towards the corner of the room. A small cot wriggled into existence.

“You can’t do magic outside of school!”

Nova raised a brow at him. “My birthday was in December, Potter.”

She got up and moved to the cot, practically falling down onto it and curling up on her side.

“So you’re about… six months older than I am,” Harry said, mostly to himself. She didn’t bother to answer. “Well…I guess if we’re attacked before I turn seventeen, I shouldn’t be too worried…”

“I’m well trained in dueling.”

“Maybe you can teach me then.” Harry laid down as well, arms folded under his head. When there was no reply, he turned his head and looked. Nova had already fallen asleep, even though it was still early evening. She looked very tired and so small that Harry instantly felt the need to protect her. He got up and carefully moved the blanket at the end of her cot onto her before grabbing up one of his school books and beginning to study.

It was very late that night when it hit him. Harry jerked straight and blinked a few times before his eyes zeroed in on Nova’s sleeping form.

The only way she could be a parseltongue was either to be connected to Voldemort like he was, or to be blood kin.

He shivered at the possibilities that raised, but knew that even she may not know how she had gained the ability.

----

The next few days went on in an odd sort of normality. Vernon went to work, Dudley went to summer school, and Petunia visited neighbors as often as possible when she wasn’t keeping house. Nova prudently stayed out of their sight when they were around and spent the rest of the time reading or lounging around. She helped Harry with his chores sometimes, but he quickly learned that she didn’t have the physical stamina to do much. Her body was too weak and Harry was worried her was wearing down far too quickly. He said nothing, however. They weren’t on close enough terms for him to pry.

Harry woke one morning and found the sun was high in the sky and he was alone in his room. He went downstairs, frowning at the lack of people. Sleeping in so late wasn’t normal for him. Finally, he found Nova in the kitchen, making some toast. She turned and gave him a little greeting smile that he returned.

“Want some?” she asked.

“Yes please.”

He sat down as she pulled out some more bread and buttered it. Once it was all ready, she brought it over to the table and sat with him. They ate in a companionable silence. It was a simple but adequate breakfast.

Harry blinked a little when he noticed Nova swaying slightly. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah, just a bit woozy,” she muttered, lifting a hand to hold her head. Blood began to drip from her nose and Harry stood.

“You’re bleeding!”

“It happens…” He fetched a tissue for her and she held it dutifully to her nose. “Don’t worry about it. Happens a lot, actually.”

“That’s not healthy,” Harry replied with a frown. She arched a brow.

“Do I look like the poster girl for perfect health?”

Before he could say anything, there was a knock at the front door. Both of them got up, despite the sharp look Harry favored his companion, and headed for it. Upon opening it, Harry blinked at the man he didn’t recognize.

He was very, very tall with long, somewhat messy blonde hair to his shoulders. Unworried violet eyes stared at him impassively from the delicately featured pale face. He wore a tight, dark green shirt, long sleeved with the shoulders cut out, and pair of very baggy black pants that were quite reminiscent of Nova’s.

“Shit,” the girl muttered. Harry glanced back at her for elaboration only to have to catch the girl when she fell forward.

“What the hell?” he wondered aloud. The blonde man seemed to sigh a little and moved forward to take Nova from him, lifting the girl with ease into his arms.

“Do not be alarmed,” he said as he walked past Harry into the house. The dark headed wizard shut the door and stormed after him.

“Alarmed! You appear and she faints! Are you nuts?” he cried. The other man didn’t bother with him. He laid Nova down on the couch and searched his pockets for a vial of pale blue liquid before he regarded Harry again.

“My name is Dominick. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said, and then bowed deeply at the waist. Harry stared at him.

“You are blooming nuts,” he murmured. Dominick straightened and simply looked at him. “Why are you here?”

“Nova went missing,” the blonde replied nonplussed. “Catherine was worried.”

“You’re from her band, then?” asked Harry and Dominick nodded. “Well….she did say her manager usually knew where everyone was…”

Harry jumped when a warm body pressed against his leg. He looked down and watched a large black cat walk uncaringly past him and jump onto the couch, front paws resting on Nova’s stomach as it looked at her. Dominick gave it an uncaring glance.

“Where did that come from?” Harry muttered with a blink.

“He followed me,” Dominick answered, nonplussed, and grabbed a tissue from the side table to wipe blood from Nova’s face. The feline glanced at Harry, orange eyes shining with intelligence. An odd patch of gray fur on his forehead was gray but there were no other distinguishing marks. He seemed to decide to dismiss the wizard and turned to Nova, mewing quietly at her. When she didn’t respond, he seemed rather put out about it.

“Why did Nova come here?” Dominick asked quietly, setting cool violet eyes onto Harry.

“She got a letter from D…Dumbledore. He told her to come.”

The blonde nodded a little, thinking quietly. “How long must you stay here?”

“Until my seventeenth birthday,” Harry answered.

“Then we’ll leave tomorrow morning.”

Harry blinked a little, thought back, and then nearly hit himself when he realized that yes, his birthday WAS to pass during that night. It surprised him that he hadn’t been more aware, for he’d wanted nothing more than to leave the Dursleys for good since he was old enough to think.

“Where will we go?”

“Catherine requests I bring Nova back to the studio.” He paused a bit. “You are likely required to follow.”

Harry frowned with suspicion plain on his face. “And why would I do that? I don’t know you. I barely know her.”

“Why wouldn’t you?”

Harry decided that the blonde man was simply mad. He didn’t bother questioning him after that. Dominick seemed quite happy to just ignore him as he waited for Nova to wake, which she did half an hour later. The girl was rather pissed off about the entire affair, but she took the potion Dominick shoved into her hands either way.

“What is that?” Harry asked. Nova sighed a bit.

“Nutrient supplement. I have to take them or I faint more often.”

“More often?”

“Are you always so rude?”

Harry frowned. He’d only been worried, but Nova was in a foul mood and would have none of the niceties. He gave Dominick a glance but the blonde man was quite busy silently sipping the tea he’d made while Nova was unconscious.

----

The Dursleys were not at all amused by the second of Harry’s visitors. Dominick just stood there and watched without a word as Vernon Dursley yelled and raged for no less than two hours. Nova was both amused and annoyed but she kept her mouth shut and sat with Harry on the last stair. At last, and only with the strict promise that all three magical people would be leaving in the morning, he finally calmed. Harry, Nova, and Dominick wisely went upstairs to keep from bothering with the muggles any longer.

Dutifully, Dominick handed Nova another nutrient booster that night before they went to bed, along with a muddy brown colored potion that seemed to have tasted as bad as it looked, if her expression was any indication. Harry came to know that Nova was on a strict regimen of potions and had been for most of her life, and Dominick almost cheerfully (but not quite. The guy was like a robot and that was a bit creepy) informed them that Catherine was very pissed off at Nova for not taking any along with her. The girl merely rolled her eyes.

Dominick sat at the end of her cot after lights had been turned out. She didn’t seem to mind and fell asleep very quickly as seemed her nature. Harry, however, was a bit bothered. Dominick wasn’t even trying to sleep. He stared out the window instead, seemingly content to just sit there all night.

“Don’t you sleep?” Harry asked, keeping his voice quiet.

“Not often,” the blonde replied. “I don’t need much.”

Harry frowned but he didn’t want to pry too deeply. It was Dominick’s own business if he slept or not. Harry barely noticed when he himself fell asleep instead of waiting up for midnight as he had been known to do.

----

A/N: Um. Heh. So, I finally worked on it again.

Acknoledgements
Ashley - You are SUCH a spaz! But I love you anyway.