Dumbledore managed to visit the basilisk's greenhouse daily, often after dinner and classes were over. He'd spend at least an hour just talking and telling stories of his own days at Hogwarts to the child-snake. But a night a week into the new routine the Headmaster was late for his nightly meeting with the basilisk and it was nearly an hour later that footsteps reverberated the ground outside and the greenhouse door swung open.
The snake hissed in mild irritation as the muzzle appeared, waking him from the doze he'd managed to fall into. Human presence had him rearing, tongue flickering with its usual rapidity. The unmistakable combination of cool, damp stone and potions ingredients came to him and he relaxed as he recognized Snape's personal scent. The Potion's Master, however, was tense, the man's stiffness translated through the way he walked.
"Forgive the intrusion Asm-…..Mr. Potter," he sounded unsure of the form of address he preferred.
"I have come to let you know that the Headmaster is unable to visit you this day. He is searching for the remedy to your…..condition. As such, I have come to fill his place." His voice was as stiff as the rest of him. He sat on the bench Albus had made, before quickly standing as if unsure that he would be staying long enough to sit.
Still reared, Harry lightly poked his bound muzzle against the man's shoulder. Snape jumped, and sneered, shoving the prodding nose back with surprising gentleness.
"Forgive me," sarcasm laced his tone, "I have never been one for," he hesitated, "pleasant conversation. It has never come naturally to me. ...But of course you know that." He was rambling and Harry covered his amusement by shifting into a loose coil around the bench Snape was still standing beside. The man started pacing the small space left by the snake's body as he continued speaking.
"I do not mean that I hate to speak, but it is a rarity that anyone outside my classroom would wish to listen…and even then they do not care to hear." He paused in his pacing and crossed his arms, staring at the ground with a scowl. His black gaze flickered to the rather tame seeming basilisk.
"And do stop that nudging. It is embarrassing to myself and degrading to you, given that you have loudly professed to hate my very existence as much as I detest yours." There was a bitter note to the words, and Harry gave a derisive snort that was decidedly amused.
Snape glared at him.
"You find this amusing, Potter?" Voice gone hard and sharp, "I should have known that your personality would not have suffered from being forced into this state. Such arrogance, just like your father," his voice dropped to an angry, bitter mutter, "Wretched James Tosser."
The basilisk flinched away from the man's tone with an almost whine, flattening against the ground. Severus eyed the reptile, and sighed, realizing that the boy turned snake was in a rather delicate mental state and he could not treat him as he had when he was human. But he could not just let the rant die off, though he did manage to gentle his tone.
"He, and those friends of his, were insufferable." Now he felt as if he were explaining to the creature why the hate ran so deep, "Show offs and school yard bullies at best. The curses the flung at me daily were numerous and with no regard to rule or risk. You at least did not torment those of…lesser breeding and appearance." He settled finally on the bench and Harry curled his long body closer around him.
The Potion's Master didn't seem to notice, lost in his own thoughts as he was. He absently traced the petal of one of the many flowers growing in the greenhouse.
"I had no friends to give comfort to me…none except for her…" he'd clearly forgotten the snake-child was there, and Harry was of no mind to remind him. "I still remember when I first showed her the river near home, how her eyes sparkled, how her smile outshone the sun. We promised we'd be the best of friends…" He sighed, and his voice dropped to a soft whisper, "Lily…."
The basilisk at his feet gave a slightly startled twitch, hissing softly for a moment before giving an irritated sound, shaking his head. A thousand questions of why Snape was speaking of his mum as she'd been his best friend and not a one he could ask in any way the man could understand.
Snape jumped at the snake-speech and remembered who he was rambling too. His normally pale features went red, the flush of blood to his face visible even to the basilisk's heat vision. The Potion's Master coughed, covering embarrassment from his inattention.
"Ah…that," the loss of words lasted only a moment. "In the end she abandoned me as all do. My father, my mother, I suppose one could call Albus a friend, but even he is more mentor and colleague than companion."
Harry hissed softly, and shifted, rearing to rest his head on the rock beside his teacher. He'd have poked the man again, but he wasn't sure he wanted to push his luck that much. Said man eyed him, suspicious of the snake-child's motives and then sighed. He raised his hand, set it down, and after a few false starts and much hesitation he patted the snake's spiked head. The basilisk startled at the touch, but relaxed just as quickly. Snape relaxed as well, having been half expecting the serpent to take his arm off, muzzle or no. But he had an image to maintain and he pretended he hadn't done any such thing as….human as patting the head of the Potter boy…even if most would just think he was getting on with the giant man eating snake.
"Now I believe classes are to begin again shortly and I must go. However, before I depart..." He produced a vial and a pair of pliers, "A scale, if I may?" Harry of course, couldn't see the instruments, but he'd heard the question enough to know what was coming. He nodded, and Snape worked quickly to pull a smaller scale and heal the resulting wound. A moment's hesitation after the deed was done and he patted the serpent's head again.
"As always my thanks for your willingness to supply samples." The snake merely nodded, the pain of scale pulling or the little bit of bloodletting he did for Snapes supply didn't even register to his mind, so used to pain was his body.
Snape gave a smirk that was almost a smile, secure in the knowledge that the boy could not see the genuinely pleased expression and took his leave.
Harry sighed at being alone again and spent the rest of the day curled in the sun in his favorite basking spot.