Harry mumbled something incoherent as he shifted in sleep, burying his face in the nice, soft, and warm pillow. He was about to roll over when he found some weight is pressing him down on the bed. At the resistance, he frowned in sleep, then slowly became aware of the bed softer than his mattress in the cupboard and pillow much fluffier. And the warmth and comfortable he was. And the taste of kin in the air. Harry becomes a little confused. It's not every day he wakes up feeling so comfortable, and warm. And content.

Then the memories came rushing by. Was that real?

Harry turned his head to look around, and discovered the dead weight on his chest is Nagini's head. Or should he say, mum?

Harry smiled, liking the word. Mum. Yes, he has a mum now, and he will keep calling her mum. He remembers how aunt Petunia used to preen and pamper his cousin when Dudley called her mum. Do all mums do that? He doesn't know, he never had a mum before. But Nagini does seem to be caring and loving enough. Look how she's hugging him as they took naps together. Even aunt Petunia never took naps with Dudley while cuddling him.

Then again, they're ordinary muggles, not a family full of Nagas and Maledictus.

Speaking of other Naga...

Harry turned to look at his father's still sleeping form. Wanting to know if he was feeling better, Harry took a big gulp of air. Oh yes, no pain, just a little numbness. And comfortable. Good then, Harry thinks as he turned toward the coil as thick as an adult man's thigh, and slowly runs his hand on the shiny scales. Without realizing it, he started to pet them and trace them, scratching a little earning a pleased hiss from his mum.

" :Good hatchling.: " Nagini slurred sleepily, flickering her tongue and tasted his cheek as if kissing him. Harry let out a soft giggle and focused on exploring her mum's scales. His attention caught the long and narrowed slightly twitching tail.

Curious, he went to grab the tail. That exact moment, Nagini moved her tail, making him miss it. Harry giggled softly, entertained, and tried again. This time, Nagini twisted her tail and it slipped past his hand. Harry choked out another giggle and tried once more. Nagini, who was now watching him with amusement glittering in her slit beady eyes, moved her tail just in time, and Harry laughed.

" :Go back to sleep, you two. :" A soft, raspy, and unfamiliar voice spoke up, sounding exhausted.

At first, both Harry and Nagini froze in their little game, blinking at each other. Then at the same time, both of them remembered the third of their den.

" :Tom: " / " :Father: " They both shouted together, turning to look at the homunculus form of The Dark Lord who's looking at them with his vibrant red eyes irate and exasperate.

" :You can talk now: " Harry gushed. He thought it'd take days for him to be able to talk.

" :Yes, but not much, I tire easily.: " His father eyed him, still wary of him.

" :Oh.: " Harry nodded a little dejected, feeling like rejected, even though he does not blame him. " :I am Harry, by the way. I am your soul son.: "

The Dark Lord stared at him, eyes narrowed with suspicion, demanded, " :Explain.: "

" :Healer Sharptooth says, your Magical experiment on soul created part of my soul. Which makes you the father of my soul.: "

The Dark Lord stared at him, a small shaky hand reaching towards him touching the scar on his forehead. " :Harry Potter, one of the Potter twins.: "

Harry flinched and let out an agitated hiss, stumbling away from the touch when his scar pulsed and felt like someone just stabbed his head. He started to furiously scratch it, making it puffy and inflamed red, only stopping when Nagini wrapped her tail around his wrist and hold him down. He let out a whimper, weakly thrashing on the bed, his slender build and still compromised health having no match against a fifteen feet viper. The intense pain overwhelming him.

" :Intriguing.: " His father noted, though he didn't attempt to touch his scar again.

Harry collapsed, coiling in his tails heaving a relieved sigh when the pain suddenly vanished. He lay there, panting and breathing heavily for few minutes, focusing on the way Nagini flickered her tongue against his cheeks as if assuring her hatchling and softly hissing to calm down. When he came around, he found mum looking at him worriedly, as well his father who was studying him with his unique and vibrant red eyes. Then he remembered his question. 

":I was birth Potter, yes, but then they went ahead disinheriting me declaring me Squib, which I am not, by the way. I can do Magic, so I am a Wiggle, just like you.: " He said and promptly changed his hair color into vibrant pink; ignoring his father's frozen reaction at the term 'Wiggle', " :See?: "

" :Turn back, hatchling! :" Nagini demanded; rearing up hoods flaring, offended by the disgusting color. " :Are you trying to blind me?: "

" :Sorry, mum: " Harry bit his lips to stop himself from burst out laughing and turned his hair back to its original color. Then turned to look at his father expectantly. He sighed.

" :I can only confirm that when I am back to optimal health, I am afraid. I am tired.: "

" :I think you need another dose of potion and soup, hold on.: " Harry said, before focusing on switching to English, "Bailey?"

--------------

" :A green mamba, that's what you are.: " The Dark Lord informed the child Naga as he watched him practice slithering correctly in the garden with Nagini and bickering on who has more dangerous venom.

" :Really?: " Harry glanced at him wide eyes, before looking back at the viper, " :Hear that, mum? I am one of the deadliest snakes, a mamba!: " Harry preened. Nagini rolled her eyes and flicked her tail on his forehead.

" :Focus on moving only your tail without moving your whole length. And vipers are deadly as well, right Tom?: " She turned to look at him who was looking at them, amused. At her word, he was quick to defend himself, " :Don't look at me, I was an albino cobra myself. We all are deadly with extremely potent venom.: "

At his words, both mother and son preened and busied themselves in further practice. Nagini now teaching him how to pounce on prey using his agility and speed.

Days have passed after Tom Marvolo Riddle, aka The Dark Lord Voldemort has returned in homunculus form created by his own Magic and helped by the Goblins. Since day one, Harry has been taking good care of him, probably better than any of his followers would do without a single hesitation or even a grimace. He probably knows how it feels to be stuck helpless, after all. The continued nurture and care, not to mention the Magic stabilizer and nutrient potions that the Goblin Healers brewed specifically for his situation has helped him a lot. Now Voldemort could talk longer than before, even sometimes may use the simplest form of Magic, even though he still gets tired and has to rest after that. But times like this, lounging in the garden under the afternoon sun seems to calm him enough, thus further stabilizing his core.

If only he had his Wand. 

He felt exposed and naked without his loyal Wand. And extremely wary. Technically he knows he needs to contact Wormtail to retrieve his wand, but he has no means to contact the disgusting rat. He will need someone with the mark to summon him.

But who he can use to summon? He doesn't know who is still loyal to him and who will not try to take advantage of his weakened form. Everything has been destroyed since the Samhain night. He needs to regroup.

Speaking of that night...

Voldemort glanced up, looking at the laughing child Naga in front of him, playing and chasing after Nagini as she tempts and calls the child towards her as a mother calls her toddler to try to toddle to her arms. He knows without a doubt that this is the real Prophecy child. Not the other Potter twin, nor the Longbottom child. He can feel the level of power in him. He has felt the same in only one person in his whole life, and that has been him. No doubt he will grow to be his equal, and with the Naga inheritance, even more so.

And then he had to come to him and dare to claim himself to be his son?

Voldemort can still remember what he has seen in the child's mind. He has no intention of turning against him, in fact, he is planning to build and stay in a hut near the forest after he's back in his true body. Needless to say, this piece of information caught him off guard a bit and also stirred something constricting deep inside him. Voldemort narrowed his eyes suspiciously, not knowing what was the feeling and not liking it for what it was, as he watched Harry tackled Nagini on the ground and they both fall at the fast impact, tripping on their coils and roll over, laughing. Ah, as fast as a true mamba. Quite impressive. Also, he hasn't seen Nagini so...happy before.

Focus, Voldemort.

Voldemort scowled, looking at the distance as another dark-haired and green-eyed image popped up in front of his eyes. So similar to him... But he shook it off. No. He has been his imagination, nothing else.

Not the right shade, not the right face.

At that moment, the Elf popped in with trey full of food and soup for him and conjured a big table in front of him, "Time for dinner. Master Harry, Should I feed Master Dark Lord sir this time?"

The child looked up, eyes still full of residual excitement and laughter after playing with Nagini. "No, I will feed him." He said, trying to untangle himself from the coils of a knot. Nagini unhelpfully cooing amusedly at his disgruntled look, making his work even more difficult. But Voldemort knows what she's doing. This way he will have more control over his tail.

After all, she has done the something same with him when he was a new Naga.

"Focus on your own food, she can help with one meal or two." Voldemort decided, making the Elf perked up and she grabbed the trey. Harry reluctantly gave an affirmative murmur then took a seat opposite his father after untangling himself. Nagini focusing on her meal, a half-dead cow that Bailey brought. Voldemort watched Harry wrapping the tail around the chair he has occupied while drinking his potions and wash his hands. Then turn to Bailey.

"Hey, Bailey? Why don't you join us?"

Bailey, who was finishing feeding him, hiccupped and stared at him, shocked. Voldemort stared too, but less for the fact that he invited a House Elf to join their dinner, more for his kindness for someone as insignificant as a House Elf. Do they not remind him of...? 

"Master Harry wanting Bailey to dinner with yous?"

"Of course!" Harry said cheerfully, "You're family. And family eats together, right?"

Bailey stared at his eyes bigger than the size of tennis balls, shocked, before starting to twist her ear. "Um, thank you, Master Harry, but Bailey is being only House Elf, sir. Bailey should not - "

Voldemort interrupted her dramatics, wishing to finish his own food, "You can join. After you finish feeding me."

Bailey gaped even more, before stammering out, "B-Bailey is being honored, Master Dark Lord sir."

Voldemort acted as if he didn't notice the big grin Harry sent their way. Instead, he decided to help the child as he finished his own food. The Elf, Bailey conjured a small chair for her and a spare plate, before delicately starting to serve herself.

"Do you wish to go back to two legs?" He interrupted the conversing Naga and Elf as they eat together.

Harry looked up at him, a little surprised given he never initiated a conversation with him. Then he remembered what he said, looking hopeful, "I'd love to, but I don't know how to - " He trailed off, so much similar to someone he knew that it burned.

"I can teach you." Voldemort offered, ignoring what his brain is trying to whisper. He can do at least this when the child is doing so much for him. "But before that, you will need proper clothes."

Harry shrugged as he picked up a cube of meat with his hand and bite into it, much to Voldemort's disgust. "I can go back to my old clothes when I turn back. I won't have itchy scales by then."

"No you can't, you'll have sensitive skin by then." Voldemort informed him, eyeing the way he's eating with distaste, "And you will need lessons on proper decorum, table manners, and etiquette. I won't have you eating like a beast in my home."

At that, Harry stopped his hand, inches away from his mouth looking at him sheepish and guilty. Voldemort sighed. "Try not to wear your emotion on your sleeve, child. People will use them and make you their target. You will need lessons on Occlumency."

"What is occulancy?"

"Occlumency," Voldemort corrected, entering the teacher mode, "is mind art. It protects your mind, shields you from mental attack and stops letting people know what you're thinking, help you organize your thoughts and guard you forming a mask."

Harry's mouth formed an 'o' as he listened to him, "Wow, you can read my mind?" For some reason, he actually looked delighted to know that bit of information, unlike others who would become terrified to have The Dark Lord anywhere near their head. But, he guessed, Harry is still a child, only eight years old. He probably doesn't even understand the meaning of privacy. He's just - he scanned his surface thoughts and inwardly sighed, exasperated - yes, only delighted to learn new Magic from his father.  Him.

"How do I learn them?"

"I will provide you with books," Voldemort said. If he is truly stuck with this imbecile who came out of nowhere and demanded to be his son; then he may as well raise him well to be competent and support his cause. "Though you're still too young to understand any of them on Occlumency. So I will teach you that personally. And you can read about etiquettes and decorum from books. Now, finish your meal then you can learn how to shift to your human form."

As he said that, Harry started to gobble down his food like a hungry wolf. Voldemort smothered the chuckle that almost escaped his lipless mouth and reprimanded him instead, "Slow down, child. You will feel nauseous if you eat like that."

Finally, when the food was finished and Bailey vanished with a pop along with the conjured tables and extra chairs, Harry was standing in the clearing, ready for having his legs back after what felt like a lifetime. Nagini was watching them from where she has coiled up near Voldemort's chair.

"Hmph," Voldemort says, eyeing the child up and down, then called out, "Bailey?" She arrived quickly, "Bring one of my spare robes from the master bedroom, resize it to fit the child, and keep it here." Voldemort nodded on the handle of his chair. He remembered stuffing a robe or five in the master bedroom for emergency purposes. Bailey bowed low and popped back, and brought a folded plain black expensive-looking robe, already shortened to fit Harry, and hang it on the handle.

"Are you ready, child?"

Harry nodded, determined to succeed in his first lesson from his father.

"Good. Now as you may have learned already that every Naga has three forms. Serpentine, half-serpentine, and human. Most Naga prefers the half-serpentine form, though, in Magical Britain, they are forced to remain in human form. Naga's human form is not different than any other common Wizard physically, bar they can still have a heightened sense of smell and their instincts. Just like that, their serpentine form is not much different than a common snake of the same species, with the only exception of where they possess the brain and mind of a human and understand their surrounding just like they are used to in their human form. Shifting between the three forms may consider difficult during the first or second time, but with time and practice, it will come as naturally as breathing to you. Are you understanding me, child?"

"Yes, father." Harry nodded, soaking up every piece of knowledge from his father. His father is rather good at teaching and can explain everything easily.

"Good, now to change your form, you must focus on thinking how you used to have a scale-free body with two legs, and let your Magic flow to change you into that form. Take deep breaths, clear your mind, and focus."

Harry closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind while breathing deeply. With determination to prove himself to his father, all his focus zeroed on how he had no scales and two legs, instead of his long tail. As he focused on that, he felt a familiar-yet-not-so familiar hook-like pull in his navel, and panicked a little, instantly opening his eyes to look down at his navel. He remembered that feeling, the last time he felt that he ended up almost dead.

"You're fighting against your Magic, Harry." Voldemort noted, "This is what happens when someone beats you every time you perform accidental Magic. But do not fret, child. Those despicable Muggles won't touch you again. Let your core pour the Magic in your blood, let it flow to your fingertips."

Harry gulped, still afraid of that feeling, but his instincts are trusting the eldest of the den. He let his focus zeroed on his two-legged figure again, and felt the hook-like sensation in his navel. Panic rose again, and he snapped his eyes open against his own will. His father shook his head, but his voice didn't sound disappointed, "Keep trying."

It took him several attempts to even stop panicking at the sensation of his 'Magic coming out of core' as his father described it. His father, even though patient and understanding, was now starting to tire. Harry was now desperate, truly wanting to go back to his legs. He took several breaths, trying to calm himself like once he did when he brought the complaint card to Dursleys about changing the color of the teacher's wig and decided to get over with it.

"One last time?" He pleaded with his father as he said to continue the lesson tomorrow. Voldemort looked at him, then decided to have one last go and nodded.

Harry took one last inhalation, focusing on his scale-less two legs and when the hook-like sensation rose, he squeezed his eyes shut and let the not-so-unpleasant sensation ran through his blood. He felt as the warm feeling spread more and more towards his limbs and to his fingertips. When they reached his fingers, he felt a tingling sensation throughout his body and slowly opened his eyes, looking at his hands mesmerized. There was a faint glow of greenish mist like waves flowing from his fingertips. He blinked, and then they're gone.

"Ah, you finally did it," Voldemort noted, his voice neutral with a subtle hint of pride which Voldemort didn't realize was there. "It wasn't that hard, was it?"

Harry looked downwards, and sure enough, where there were emerald scaled appendages he grew accustomed to looking, was scale-less two skinny looking legs. He looked at his hands, running fingers on his collarbones, but no trace of scales. Harry smiled at mum's coos and praises his successful attempts, looking back at his father who was looking at him with a touch of pride.

"Good, now put the robes on and let us retire to the Manor, Sun is setting."

"Yes, father," Harry said, taking a tentative step forward.

Then fall flat on his face.

Harry sighed, pressing his face in the ground wishing the ground to crack apart and swallow him, ignoring his mum as she rolls over her belly laughing hysterically at his first