Harry had never been to the zoo before. Now, at Dudley's 15th birthday, they were going to the London Zoo. His cousin Dudley had already yawned over the polar bears, spit at the tigers, and whined at his father to wake the sleeping python. Vernon Dursley chuckled over his son's antics while reminding Harry, the "freak", to back away lest people think they were related. Harry complied, finding much better company in the sleeping python.

With the snake, there were no punches to dodge, or orders to follow: only blissful silence on the other side of a three-inch thick sheet of glass. As Harry watched, the snake slowly opened one of its eyes and flicked out its tongue. It regarded him sleepily, decided he wasn't a threat, and went back to sleep. Vernon wandered over to Dudley's side and draped his arm around the large boy. Harry looked at the pair of them, wondering when a zoo official would take away the escaped whales…

Dudley spotted Harry and decided to indulge in his favorite pastime: "Harry Hunting." The small boy backed away slowly until his back hit the glass of the python tank. The large snake stirred, finally interested in its surroundings. Dudley stalked closer, loving the scared gleam in his cousin's eyes.

"Don't come any closer!" Harry yelped as Dudley glanced around him. The rest of the Reptile House was nearly empty. The python cocked its head in confusion. The human-boy had spoken in fear. Why was he afraid of the other boy? With his slicked back blonde hair, he was hardly intimidating; it was only when you looked at his clenched fists that you could understand the fear in the dark-haired boy.

Dudley sniggered at his small cousin and pulled back his fist. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry could see Vernon looking on happily. Harry shut his brown eyes and waited for the blow. It never came. Harry felt his skin tingle as if he had been electrocuted and Dudley's eyes widened. Behind Harry, the python slid closer.

When Harry's skin tingled, the glass in the python tank had disappeared. Dudley's eyes shone as he seized Harry around the neck. Starved as he was, Harry was no burden as Dudley threw him into the python tank.

The python hissed in surprise as a small boy was thrown on its long coils. The snake looked back at the large boy as he started prodding the snake angrily. The python hissed and wrapped around Harry protectively. He didn't want his snakeling to be hit by the blonde boy. The python looked at Harry in confusion: why didn't his snakeling have scales? Why were his eyes a deep brown? Pythons didn't have brown eyes. The snake rubbed his triangular head against Harry's cheek and opened its mouth. His teeth slid into Harry's neck and his snakeling opened its eyes. The python hissed happily as Harry's brown eyes turned an acid green.

Vernon growled in his throat. He had charitably taken his nephew to the zoo with them and this was how he was repaid? His idiot of a nephew went and fell into the snake pit! Vernon conveniently forgot his son's involvement as the freak opened his eyes to look at the snake wrapped around him. There was sure to be a news article, and the Dursleys couldn't afford for Harry to show up at the hospital with a tropical snake bite and badly set broken bones.

Dudley smirked as the python wrapped around Harry tighter in a protective shroud. To him, it looked as if the snake was squeezing the small boy. The only part of Harry he could see was his shock of black hair. As Vernon thundered over, it was Harry's black hair that he grabbed a hold of.

Both Vernon and Dudley pulled on Harry as the snake wound tighter. The only other person in the Reptile House fainted as the python snapped at Vernon angrily. This meat-man was trying to take his snakeling! The python licked at Harry's cheek as Vernon pulled the boy further from the python. Harry shut his now-green eyes as he passed out.

The large man now had Harry out until his waist. Dudley grabbed Harry's arm, smiling broader when his harsh pulling forced Harry's arm from the socket. The python looked on in agony as his snakeling was torn from his grasp.

Harry came around as he heard Vernon yelling something. What was Vernon saying?! Had he missed an order?! Harry opened his eyes and looked up at Vernon from the floor of the Reptile House. He thought he saw a smear of red over his uncle's skin, but it disappeared as he blinked his eyes. Everything looked fuzzy, but he still had his glasses on. Even with the blur around him, Harry could see the murderous look on his uncle's face. His stomach knotted in dread and his heart beat faster. The python hissed angrily as his snakeling became frightened.

Ssstupid man! Ssstay back!

Harry's eyes widened as he heard the snake hiss angrily: he had understood! He gulped and looked back at the python.

Fear not, Sssnake. The marksss don't lassst long.

Vernon stared down at the freak. "Hiss at me will you? Come along Dudley: we have a special present for the freak at home."

Harry sat in the dark of with his knees curled up to his chin. The dark of the cupboard was comforting after his "present." Harry touched his bruised face tenderly and bit back a gasp.

Flashback

Vernon and Dudley strong-armed him out to the car and Dudley squirmed in his seat as they drove home in silence. His uncle pulled the car into the garage and turned off the engine. The garage door slid down behind them and Harry was again hidden from view. No one even knew there was another child in the Dursley house, and his relatives worked hard to secure that illusion.

Petunia opened the door to the house and Vernon walked through it, followed by Dudley.

"Boy!" Vernon bellowed as Harry hesitated. "Boy" ran into the house and stared at the floor.

"Pet," Vernon addressed his wife, "Boy was very bad today. He was even bitten by an animal! Shouldn't he be treated like an animal?" Petunia nodded and Dudley clapped his hands in glee.

"Well, Boy, you heard me." Vernon whispered. Harry chanced a look at his Uncle, terrified at his calm tone. Vernon smiled and looked at his son.

"Don't you have a cage from your last dog, Dudley?"