Flavor of Life
by Yih

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters and am making no profit from this whatsoever.

Chapter One
A Fresh Start

This was a new beginning. Harry dropped his small suitcase on the floor and took a look at his dormitory room. There were two beds lofted up and two desks squeezed underneath, no doubt to conserve space. It was probably a small room for most people's standard, but compared to living in a cupboard, it was absolutely spacious. Harry felt his lips curve slowly in a smile and was about to suppress it before he remembered he wasn't at his Uncle Dursley's house. There was no reason that he couldn't show his emotions as long as he was careful.

His smile was still on his face when he heard someone clearing his throat. Harry turned around immediately and saw a very blond and tall boy standing there with a large man carrying two huge suitcases behind him. “Draco Malfoy,” the boy said, not bothering to hold out his hand and shake. “You must be Harry Potter. If you don't mind moving your luggage, my valet will be much obliged.”

Harry blinked and nodded, reaching down to grab his suitcase and push it under his bed and out of the way. “Um... nice to meet you.”

Draco gave him a curt nod before ordering his valet around. It turned out that the two large suitcases weren't even half of what Draco had brought with him. Harry just sat atop his bed and watched the valet lug stuff in and out, trying somehow to fit everything into the room. Some of the stuff simply couldn't fit and Draco looked very annoyed when they had to be removed from the room and taken back home.

“What intolerable living conditions,” Draco muttered. “I do not understand in the slight why the Headmaster could not bend the rules a tad and given me a room of my own. He must know who my father is. Who doesn't?”

Harry had no idea who Draco's father was either, not until Draco had muttered Lucius Malfoy's name repeatedly underneath his breath, saying what his father would do once he learned how atrocious the living conditions were. Harry didn't think there was much Lucius Malfoy could do, not when all the first years at the Londinium College of Magic had to share rooms.

“I don't suppose I can get you to quit Londinium and leave this room to myself,” Draco stated. “I suppose I must suffer this.” He wrinkled his nose and sat down on the bed he had brought to replace the one already in the room. “What is your specialty?” he asked. “Who will you be studying under?”

“I...” Harry began and hesitated. “I don't really know.”

“You must be good at something,” Draco said, “else you would not have been admitted into Londinium. No use being modest. What's your strongest magic?”

“I really don't know,” Harry muttered and flushed when he realized how that sounded.

Draco raised an eyebrow. “Well, who do want to study under? I plan on purusing telepathy studies.”

“With Professor Snape,” Harry said and Draco looked startled.

“Of course, you would not be ignorant,” he murmured. “What are you specializing in? No let me guess. You are here to study elemental magic or perhaps, precognition with Professor Trelawney?”

Harry shrugged. “I don't know what I'm going to focus on. I'm going to take a general course load and figure that out.”

“How odd.” Draco narrowed his eyes. “Most know what they're going to specialize in when they enter Londinium. How is it you don't?”

Harry really did not want to answer that question, but it wasn't like he could keep avoiding Draco when he was his roommate. “The Headmaster wants me to study a range of magic.”

“You're the scholarship student!” Draco exclaimed in astonishment. “By Merlin's balls, you're reputed to be a magical prodigy. There hasn't been one since... Tom Marvolo Riddle.”

Harry knew his cheeks were bright red now. “Erm...”

“You'll do,” Draco said with a smug smile. “You'll do.”

-

Harry found the Great Hall mind boggling, but Draco, of course, found it lacking as everything at Londinium seemed to be found wanting. Harry sighed and just took a seat at the first years table next to a bright red headed boy that somehow seemed to offend his roommate. Draco gave him a pointed look and just stood there, waiting.

“You can't be serious,” Draco said. “You do know who you are sitting next to, don't you?”

Harry looked at the red headed boy with a generous sprinkling of freckles across his nose and turned back to Draco and slowly shook his head. “Um...”

“He's a Weasley,” Draco said with disdain. “Can't you tell? Red head, ghastly wardrobe. No doubt hand me downs. He's not fit for our presence. Get up.”

Harry really didn't care that the Weasley boy was a red head or poor, but he also didn't want to get into a fight with his roommate before class even started. He wanted everything to go well this time and that meant he wanted friends. Harry smiled apologetically at the Weasley boy and stood. “Nice meeting you,” he said softly before Draco grabbed his hand and dragged him away.

“You are hopeless,” Draco said, pushing Harry down to sit next to a pale blond girl. “This is Harry Potter, my roommate.”

“Pansy Parkinson,” the girl said, extending her hand. She gestured to the chubby-face girl with rosy cheeks next to her. “Susan Bones, my roommate, meet Draco Malfoy.”

Susan waved her hand hesitantly. “Nice to meet your acquaintance.”

Harry shook Pansy's hand then waved a little at Susan before Draco started to introduce him to the boys sitting across from them. They happened to be Blaise Zabini and Zacharias Smith, also rooming together. There were others that Draco introduced, he seemed to know everyone , and he made whispered commentary to Harry about them all. Draco said Pansy thought she was sophisticated, but she came off as snobbish and Susan was a timid girl that all she had going for was her aunt, Amelia Bones. Blaise and Zacharias were all right as far as boys went, but you had to be careful around them. They were a crafty lot.

Harry absorbed all that Draco said, not really knowing if he should believe everything Draco said at face value. It would probably be wiser to make his own evaluations later on, but it probably didn't hurt to have a little heads up on their personalities. Draco didn't seem to be inaccurate in his descriptions, even if he was a bit harsh commentating on those that were on the poorer side. Harry concluded Draco was likely a bigger snob than what he accused Pansy of being. How ironic.

“Welcome first years to the Londinium College of Magic,” the Headmaster Albus Dumbledore greeted in a warm, kindly voice. He was a thin old man man wearing a bright red suit with a pink tie. Harry's eyes widened. “You will find the opportunities to realize your potential, no matter where your talents may lie. We wish you all the best and considering the hour, please tuck in!”

The food that appeared out of nowhere looked delicious to Harry's eyes and he wanted to immediately pile his plate up, but he waited. He didn't want to seem uncouth and he had a feeling that Draco would reprimand him, if not look down on him. Harry sighed and watched as the others served themselves, taking note that they only put small portions on their plate. He copied their example and slowly began to eat.

Harry was thoroughly enjoying the roast beef when Draco elbowed his side. “Do you see the man in the all black attire sitting to the far right? That is Professor Snape, my future mentor.”

Harry obligingly looked to where Draco was pointing and felt heat flood his body when he saw the thin, sallow-face man. His heart began beating uncomfortably fast when he met Snape's dark eyes and he had to look away. He choked on his food and Draco rolled his eye before slapping him hard on the back, helping Harry dislodge the stuck piece of meat.

“Thanks,” Harry said hoarsely before grabbing his glass and drinking some water. He immediately felt better, though at the same time he was confused.

Why did seeing Professor Snape cause a heat wave in his body? It simply didn't make sense, especially since Snape was not a fire mage. He was a telepath, however, and Harry had no idea the extent of his powers. It was possible that Snape could make his body burn through his mental abilities, though Harry did not know why Snape would do that. He had never met the man before so it was impossible for him to have a grudge against him, right?

“A complete philistine,” Draco muttered. He resumed eating in his meticulous and elegant way, proceeding to ignore Harry for the rest of dinner. Harry didn't mind as it gave him plenty of time to enjoy his meal, which is precisely what he did.

-

“Once upon a time...” his mother always began when she told him fairy tales about how the Prince and Princess would met and fall madly in love. His mother was dead now and she would never realize that he preferred men. It was probably best that was, considering what a traditionalist his mother was. Still he would miss her.

Severus said a mental good-bye to her as he released her ashes to the wind so that they might travel the world as she had never done. He filled his message with what love he had known and sent it to her, knowing that somewhere out there her spirit would feel it. He hoped that wherever she was, she was happier than she had been here. She deserved it after so many years of misery with his good for nothing father. Severus pursed his lips. Tobias had, of course, deemed Eileen's funeral not worth wasting his time. What his mother had ever seen in the man, Severus would never understand.

“Excuse me,” said a soft, gentle male voice. Severus knew it was not Tobias, but he still whirled and was on the defensive, wondering who his father might have sent to ruin his mother's funeral. It was a young man, no boy, with messy hair and absurdly green eyes. “Are you Mister Severus Snape?”

Severus inclined his head a little, warily. “So what if I am?”

“Well,” the boy said, looking quite sheepish, “I'm sorry to disturb you... but it has been rather hard trying to locate you.”

Severus was starting to feel the beginning of a headache. He had already determined from a quick mind glean that the boy was harmless to him, though he did seem to have some powerful potential. “I have no wish to be found.”

“My father sent me,” the boy continued as if he had not said anything at all. “He said to give you this letter and that you would understand.”

The boy took out a thick cream-colored envelope and handed it to him. Severus wanted to just throw it away, but for some reason he opened the letter and read. It was from a man that Severus had hoped never to hear from again, but alas, life was not kind enough to oblige him.

I realize you hate me for what I have done to you, but I know you are a man who pays his debts and you owe me a life debt. It is now within your power to relieve yourself of this debt. The boy carrying this letter is my son, Harry. He is a potentially powerful telepath and it is not within my ability to instruct him, so I am giving him to your care and guidance.

I have heard you have gone into seclusion and have become a hermit, and I do not know what you have heard of the outer doings of the world since you have forsaken it, but there is a war churning between those of light and dark magic. I do not need to tell you where my loyalties lie. I have my doubts on what side you would choose to stand for, but protect my son and your debt is paid in full.

It would be best, should outsiders see him with you, that you pretend Harry is somehow related to your family and has no relations to me at all. I trust you will fulfill your debt and perhaps, teach him how to fulfill his potential if you so choose.

James Potter

“What has your father told you?” Severus asked, looking down carefully at the Potter boy.

“That you will keep me safe,” the boy whispered. “That he trusts you.”

Severus wanted so badly to laugh, but now was not the time. It seemed that despite the boy's ability to locate him on a remote island off the coast of a rather unsettled part of Scotland, the boy was not a very hardy creature. Severus had the sneaking suspicion that the boy's red-rimmed eyes were the result of crying instead of the harsh cold weather. Trust James Potter to send his sniveling, weak-willed son to him to tutor.

Potter never said to be nice, not that Severus ever was, but he would indeed protect the boy from the world by keeping him safely isolated from it for however long the war endured. Severus would repay this debt and then he would never owe Potter a blasted thing again. Severus held back the urge to smile as he gestured for the boy to follow him. It was a long walk back to the family manor.

To be continued...

Note: This is a rather different AU and I was wondering if it interests you? What do you think will happen next? There are definitely two timelines here (past and present) and I am going to try to keep the characters similar to the original HP series and yet uniquely themselves as well. Thanks for your support and please review and let me know what you think.