He knew, that he should have been afraid, but he simply couldn't. It's luminous and smooth scales were glittering in the sunset like tens of sapphires, and a pair of black eyes resembled two opals. When white fangs were shown, Harry Potter, four-year-old boy kneeling on the green grass next to the house number 4 on Privet Drive, froze. Enchanted, he was starring at a creature in front of him; a predator, whose hypnotizing power was hidden in it's threat.
Snake moved and little Harry backed away; the boy remembered basic dangers, which were instilled to every four-year-old. Among them, a snake figured.
The reptile hissed and, like somewhat aping Harry, it moved back and hid behind aunt Petunia's bush of hydrangea.
„I'm scared, scared, scared..."
Harry shuddered and looked around, mending the glasses on his nose. He couldn't localize whose whisper it was. Could he have auditory hallucination?
„A human, nowhere to run, a human, I'm scared..."
It was hot, sunny day, the middle of summer, which Harry could finally get a use of. Until now, those beautiful sunny days were constantly ruined by his cousin, Dudley, by beating, kicking and stoling toys. Of course, everything was happening under careful aunt Petunia's eye, who was only tenderly cooing to her „Duddy", not caring about Harry's tears.
But today, Harry had finally an opportunity to play alone; Dudley was down with a stomach flu, and Harry didn't have any friends, because everyone was scared away by his chubby cousin. That's why, Harry managed to sneak out of the house, making advantage of aunt Petunia's inattention, so he could bury himself in his favourite place to play, behind the bush of hydrangea. He was armed in few toy soldier, which Dudley didn't manage to destroy. In depths of his childlish soul, Harry wished for a company to play, apart from Dudley and apart from loneliness.
But certainly, he wouldn't wish for a snake.
„What to do, what to do, I'm scared, scared..."
First, Harry wanted to stand up and run away as fast as he could. But that whisper stopped him and made him wonder. Is it another Dudley's trick? No, least possible. Since morning Dudley had thrown a half of a bucket of puke.
„I'm scared..."
The boy put himself together. Now, or never. Ignoring the fear, he peeked from behind a bush and stared at the snake.
„You're scared?„ he asked the snake. That question seemed to fit the situation. For a child, that is.
The snake, surprising Harry, nodded with his head.
„I'm scared."
Harry, completely lost, answered:
„I see."
They were staring at each other in silence for a moment. The snake wasn't really that big; eventually, it could only wrap around Harry's arm. Suddenly, Harry, moved by his childlish confidence, he stretched the arm to the snake. It backed away and bared it's fangs. Harry felt the needle of fear again but didn't pulled the hand back.
„I'm scared, I'm scared..."
„Don't be scared" said Harry. The snake stopped moving back and hid the fangs. Now Harry also stopped being scared. „I'm not going to do anything."
„Anything?"
„Anything." Harry confirmed.
„Who are you?" asked the snake.
„I'm Harry."
„But who are you?"
„I'm Harry" the boy repeated, a bit confused. „I'm four years old. And who are you?"
The snake blinked.
„I'm myself."
„That is who?"
„The one, who crawl."
„I see." Harry said again. „Don't you have a name?"
„I do not."
„I see" he said for the third time.
And then he got a brilliant idea.
„If I give you a name, will you become my friend?"
