Blood of the Serpent

Author's Note

Greetings, everyone.

I haven't been here as often as I would like. I've been working on my blog and a few other stories I have up and running. However, given how much this one story is loved and adored, I couldn't help but swing back and see if I could crank out another chapter. Most days I'm busy working on school or work, so I can't be on here as often as I would like. Got bills to pay, to be honest.

However, I have managed to get another chapter done. I know many of you are eager to see some of the scenes from the first BOTS play out. We're slowly getting there, as many of you can likely tell. This chapter is a rewrite of the old one (chapter five, I believe it had been). This is a tad hard for me to write, nowadays. Given the fact that there's so many of these stories and the fact it bore some resemblance to another story which a Dark Lord snake, well, I got a bit discouraged. I want this to be different enough everyone will like it without thinking this is a copy-n-paste of another story.

I'm sure you can all understand my thoughts, there. Things are slowly progressing. So, with that said, I'd like to introduce you all to BOTS once again!

So, without further ado:

Read, Enjoy and Review!

Chapter Nine

'He'll be watching me, he says,' Harry cut through the Hogwarts hallways, green eyes blazing as the conversation he and Snape had played out in his mind for, perhaps, the hundredth time. His jaw clenched, eyes narrowing as he made his way to the moving staircase and took the stairs three at a time to the next floor. Behind him, Voldemort followed. The Dark Lord's long, serpentine body weaved across the stone floor, students parting in waves as they came. 'Who the hell does he think he is, saying shit like that?'

Harry stopped abruptly in the middle of the hall, eyes clamped shut as the undulating coils of the Dark Lord's serpentine body wound around his legs. He felt the diamond-shaped head caress the inside of his wrist before pressing into his palm. Harry exhaled, reminding himself to be calm.

When he opened his eyes, his gaze shifted to the wizard-now-serpent. Harry's emerald eyes glowed, bright despite the rage shimmering underneath his skin. The Dark Lord hissed once, his voice even as he said, 'Of course he's watching us, Potter. I'm trapped within the body of the most venomous serpent the Wizarding World knows, one that happens to be coiled around the Boy-Who-Lived. If they aren't watching, they'd be bigger fools than what they already are.'

Harry didn't bother to respond to such a statement. The entire school was watching him, countless eyes following his every movement. Hell, people were watching him since he was eleven years old! Harry could easily remember how everyone had been silent, during his Sorting.

He remembered the eyes watching him, the whispers following him. What difference did it make if he was carrying around a deadly snake? One way or another, people would watch him. It mattered little what he was doing. Harry knew someone would always have their eye on him. For the longest time, it was the students of the school and a Dark Lord from afar.

Now the Dark Lord in question stalked after him, sharp hisses cutting through the air as they made their way through the castle's halls. Harry ignored the sibilant words, his anger pushing him forward without a thought towards his surroundings. Around him, students moved out of the way with wide eyes. Behind him, the Dark Lord let out another sharp, demanding hiss.

Seconds after, fangs grazed the back of his heel.

Harry whirled around, voice iced as he hissed, 'What is it that you want?'

'For you to listen when I speak!' The massive serpent reared up much like a cobra would, crimson eyes dark as blood within a white, scaled face. Harry drew in a sharp breath, shoulders taunt as he eyed the Dark Lord's serpentine form. All around them, students backed away. The snake's mouth opened, violet venom pooling along the edge of each sharp fang. Before Harry could retort, Lord Voldemort hissed, 'While this situation is far from ideal for either of us, Potter, it is something we have to deal with. Let us not forget the agreement we came to, boy.'

'And what of everyone else?'

'Come again?'

Harry carded his fingers through his hair, fingers catching on the tangles hidden within the nest of unruly black locks. The Dark Lord was practically looking him in the eye, all six-feet-plus of body wrapped around his personal space. Like a cobra, the Dark Lord stood on his own. Drawing in a tight breath, Harry opened his mouth to respond when another voice, smoother and calmer, cut in with a gentle, "Is everything alright, Harry?"

The Boy-Who-Lived wanted to scream. Instead, he forced a tight smile as he turned to see the Headmaster standing there once more. Was the old man lurking outside his classroom doors, now? Or was he stalking him? That thought alone made Harry very uncomfortable. Stealing himself, Harry forced his back and shoulders to relax.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Why?"

"You seemed very…tense, a moment ago," Albus Dumbledore had a few folders tucked under one arm, long white beard reaching well past his middle. The old man's gaze shifted to the serpentine Dark Lord, blue eyes twinkling as he asked, "Does he have a name?"

"What?"

Dumbledore's gaze shifted to him, a light smile spreading across his face as a hard glint entered those twinkling azure orbs. "The lacrimosa, Harry. Does he have a name?"

Harry shot a glance at the snake only to see burning, crimson suns staring him down. The Dark Lord offered no assistance and Harry's gaze turned back to the Headmaster. Names. What would someone name a giant, venomous-yet-impossibly-also-a-python-hybrid-thing? After a moment, Dudley came to mind. Harry's eyes closed as a sense of dread filled him. When he opened his eyes, he looked over at the Headmaster as he said, "He does have a name, though it is still rather new. His previous owners didn't take all that much care of him."

"Oh?" One of Dumbledore's eyebrows rose in question. Harry propped one hand on his hip, a slow grin spreading across his face. 'He'll likely kill me for this, but I gotta have a bit of fun after all the shit he's put me through.' Harry ran one hand along the pale, white trunk of the serpent, nails grazing the scales as he answered Dumbledore's gentle prompt, "He doesn't like to talk about it all that much, actually. His name, though. That's what you were asking about."

'Potter,' Harry's gaze shifted to the Dark Lord, a slow smile spreading across his face as ruby eyes darkened until they were nearly black. He turned back to the Headmaster as he finally said, "He has a name, sir. He's still getting used to it, so he doesn't respond to it all that much. I think you'll like it, though."

"And what might this name be?"

Harry grinned. "His name, sir, is Monty."

Dumbledore's eyebrows vanished into his hairline the same moment pain cut through Harry's Curse Mark, a clear sign the Dark Lord did not appreciate the muggle-inspired name. Harry bit the inside of his cheek as he stepped back from the headmaster, the Dark Lord's silver-scaled face grazing the side of his neck as he hissed, 'Monty, Potter? Really? Have very original.'

'I thought you'd appreciate it,' Harry returned with a grin, emerald eyes aglow with an inner light. Voldemort hissed, a wordless sound that echoed. Harry watched as the massive body lowered back to the ground and then the Dark Lord was making his way down the hallway. As he left, his only statement was, 'Are you coming, Potter? Your friends are this way.'

Harry shot Dumbledore a look, voice calm as he said, "As it is, Dumbledore, I have a few friends to catch up with. Lessons to study and all that."

Harry made his way after the massive, large serpent without another word. Behind him, Dumbledore watched his retreat with a subtle frown. Ahead, the Dark Lord's silver body glided over the stones and between the feet of countless students. Harry, caught in the middle, felt the first hint of a true grin spread across his face.

The games were only just beginning.