Snakeskin (A Harry Potter Fanfic)

Chapter 1: Panic

Chapter 1: Panic

Things are so much worse now. Siri got in a lot of trouble for getting sorted into Gryffindor and for not attending the Christmas Ball. I told the truth. It was my fault that he hadn't come. I'd forced him not to. I told the hat to put him in Gryffindor. I got a taste of what that Muggle woman experienced. I would never wish it on anyone.

**

The sun rose steadily over the streets of London, falling over the shabby, run-down houses of Grimmauld Place. It fell over the large, empty lot between numbers eleven and thirteen, flooding the windows of the invisible house that stood there. In one of the rooms on the upper floors stood a boy in front of a covered mirror. The boy took a breath, reaching a hand out to pull the cover off before retracting it abruptly and turning away, readjusting the sleeves on his robes.

This was Leo Castor Black, and he was a wizard. He was blonde, with striking blue-grey eyes and broad shoulders. At the moment, he wore a black, crisp, three-piece suit with a fancy-dress robe to match. He had found the outfit at the bottom his Uncle Sirius's closet and had been pleasantly surprised to find that they had similar builds, the robes fitting him perfectly. On the middle finger of his left hand rested an ornate silver ring embossed with his family's crest.

On his right forearm, hidden beneath his robes, was a wand holster that he had bought the previous day, thinking it would be a sound investment. He gave an experimental flick of his wrist, and a dark red wand slid into his hand. He gave it a small twirl before flattening his hand, allowing the wand to retract back into its holster.

He readjusted his tie before exiting his father's old room and walking down the stairs to the foyer. There stood a small, wrinkly old creature dressed in naught but a loincloth. This was Kreacher, Leo's house-elf. Or, well, he belonged to his family which by extension meant he belonged to him. 

Kreacher held out the crook of his arm and Leo took it. At once, the room spun and felt as though they were being sucked through a small pipe. A moment later, they arrived in an empty storage room, where Leo released his arm and Kreacher vanished with a small 'crack'. Leo exited the room, stepping into the Leaky Cauldron – a tavern that guarded the entrance to Diagon Alley, the wizarding shopping district. 

Leo looked around before spotting who he was looking for and walking over, his face impassive.

"Good morning, Mr. Black," Dumbledore greeted him with a small incline of his head. "I trust you are doing well?"

"Better than Harry, I imagine," Leo replied in a bitter tone.

Leo's cousin, Harry, had been stuck at the Dursleys for the past two weeks, much to Leo's ever-growing irritation. He had visited him a few times and was pleased to find that, at the very least, Harry had his very own room that was not a cupboard. Granted, it was still quite small, but it was better than nothing.

"This is the deal you made, Mr. Black," Dumbledore reminded him before holding out his arm. "There's no time for second thoughts."

"I know," Leo replied, grabbing his arm.

They spun on the spot, twisting through the 'magical pipeline', as Leo liked to call it and arriving on the shoreline of a very large body of water. A single boat was there, barely large enough for two people. Leo immediately released his arm and walked over to it, facing forward on the boat. Dumbledore followed him, sitting directly across from him and taking out his wand. Leo tensed. Dumbledore tapped the side of the boat with the wand tip. It began moving forward.

"You did quite well for your first time Side-Along Apparating, Mr. Black," Dumbledore commented, peering at him over his half-moon spectacles. "That was your first time Apparating, was it not?"