57 reviews! 44 favs! 66 alerts! 4 communities! Guess who's doing the 'Happy Dance'? Me! Guess who's gonna join me? You!
Disclaimer: No, I don't own any aspect of the P or PJO series. (Does a double negative make a positive?)
"…18, 19, 20!" The boys cheered and Sally laughed as she stopped the car in front of the kindergarten institution. There was a layer of snow everywhere and Sally wanted to groan as she thought about stepping out into the cold air. It wasn't that drastic, but the weather still seemed unfit for young kids like her little angels. Harry and Percy were bundled up in thick shirts, sweater and a jacket each with scarves and mufflers. They looked like human teddy bears whom Sally could hug to the brink of death.
Christmas was just around the corner and it was the last day until the Winter holidays. The Dursleys were, of course, leaving for some grand vacation, but Sally only took it in an optimistic way. There was no other way, really.
They entered the warm building and Percy tried to rip the scarf off of his neck. "Patience!" Sally chuckled and removed all the extra layers of both her boys and kissed their heads.
"Be good!" She called after them and they grinned at her. In her mind, there could be no one who would be able to replace the space in her heart occupied be her little Pumpkin and Pepe. She thought about their names. It had been a long time since she'd called them by their original names. She mentally shrugged. It didn't matter what their names were, did it? (Naming her blood son 'Perseus', is not counted here.)
"Nap time. Come now, children. Don't you want to have a good long rest after learning all the alphabets?!" One of the women said standing in the middle of the nursery.
Harry pouted. He wanted to talk to Leehe about all the things his second best friend had seen. True that they hadn't made many acquaintances, but Percy'll always be his brother and best friend. Nobody would change that.
Currently, the long snake bared it's fangs at Harry who giggled. It visited him, every single day scaring Percy out of his wits and conversing with Harry whenever it could get the chance to. Human adults weren't supposed to it. It'd mean instant death.
But apparently, death wouldn't come only if the adults saw it…
Mrs. Hetchins adjusted the covers of Dudley's sleeping bag and tip-toed out of the room. The dark room had night-time stickers which glowed in the faint light giving a bit of brightness to the afternoon interior. Making sure that the heaters were at the right temperatures, she carefully closed the doors.
For a while there was silence. And then…
Creak.
The shelf on which the fishbowl was placed moved slightly. One of its shelves had a small crack which had made the noise it would usually make if too much weight was pressed on it. Like when a child tried to climb it, or when the bags were kept on it or when a snake would slither down each shelf to reach the ground from the slightly open window near which the table had been coincidentally placed.
Though the last example had never happened before, it was happening now.
The snake, Lih, had observed the routine for weeks. For the next long moments, no adult would be present and all children would be asleep. It was the perfect time to talk to its interesting human friend.
The fully grown adder, a little thin for its age, slithered along the rows of unprotected children until it could locate the familiar taste. Usually, humans were not something snakes would go looking willing or even unwillingly, but this child didn't smell completely human. And to add to that, the human had the sour salt scent of a snake. This was not the most curious aspect of the human child. Said child could also talk in the snake's tongue, a feat which hadn't been accomplished for years if the rumours of some magic snake-man few years ago were true.
Sticking out its tongue, the snake would have slithered towards the intended destination if something hadn't grabbed it.
"Hissy!" Percy exclaimed holding the snake by its tail and pulling it towards himself. The snake gave an enraged hiss and bared its fangs as if about to jump at the three year old boy, but Percy, almost calmly, grabbed the snake by the neck in his other arm. The snake tried to wiggle out but Percy tightened his grip.
"You weid." Percy said frowning at the snake in his arms. He sat up and looked to his side were Harry was in a deep sleep. Percy let go of the snake's tail and held the neck firmly with both hands. The snake frantically moved its entire body. The tail swished around until it narrowly missed Harry head. His hair moved with the wind caused by the tail. Percy gasped and left the snake's neck to catch it by the tail.
Lih got its bearing once it was able to breathe. Baring its fangs with venom dripping down, it lunged for Percy's neck. Percy blinked and held the tail in front of his face and the fangs sank deeply into its own tail.
If snakes could howl in pain. Lih would've. Removing the intrusion, it glared menacingly at Percy who was still holding the tail looking a little abashed.
"Boo Boo." He said in an apologetic tone. The snake hissed and tried to escape but Percy pulled it back with such force that the snake's head banged against the wall as it was roughly hauled.
"Oops." Percy mumbled and dropped the tail. He leaned and picked up the heavy snake. It was sticking out its tongue weakly to sense danger. No use of that 'cause the danger was holding him uncomfortably. Percy frowned and shook the snake roughly thinking it to be asleep. He let go of the tail and looked dead straight into the snake's eyes. The snake didn't blink and neither did Percy. "Hissy?" He called. The snake didn't move. Perhaps if the human got bored and let it go, it might survive. Might.
Percy tilted his head and shook the head again so much that it banged again on the wall. This time there was a dark stain. Percy looked confused and grabbed the tail and pulled the snake tightly. There was some hissing sound from the creature until it went silent. Percy dropped the snake and prodded it with his fingers.
"Hissy?" Wak up!" The snake didn't. Maybe it had gone to sleep. He lifted it up and put it on his lap petting the head like Sally would do at times. She'd run her fingers through his hair humming and it always calmed him down. The snake didn't have hair. But Percy hummed and thought that Harry's peculiar friend wasn't so bad.
The door opened and voices could be heard. "…pick Dudley up early. So I told them I'd come and take my boys too." Sally said smiling at the teacher and both women looked at the kids assuming they were asleep. Then they saw Percy sitting on his sleeping bag with a very poisonous adder on his lap. He grinned and lifted the snake to show his mother, "Hissy sweepy!"
Mrs. Hetchins fainted and Sally screamed. Many kids were jolted up and Harry rubbed his eyes to see Percy and Lih together as if posing for a shot. Except the snake looked asleep.
"Leehe!" Harry cried happily and lifted the snake out of Percy's grip. The snake didn't respond and Harry frowned shaking it. "Sweepy." Percy said and Harry nodded. He was about to pet the snake before it was ripped out of his arms and thrown towards the corner by a hysterical Sally who grabbed her sons and Dudley pulled them out without explanation. She took their bags hurriedly pulled their jackets and very soon all three kids were in the car as disheveled as Sally felt. She was driving at full speed and every time she turned, the boys screamed.
Sally slammed down on the break, resulting in the tires to screech, when they reached Privet Drive and turned to look at them, expecting them to cry, but the boys burst out laughing.
"Fun!" Percy cried. Dudley screamed, "Again. Again!"
Sally didn't listen to them but her gaze were fixed at Harry who grinning at her.
Looks like they had got rid of the snake problem, temporarily.
You must have guessed it but I'll tell you guys anyway. This story'll probably last to about 17 chapters if the plot in my mind is proper. Any change and you'll know.
I'm putting a one-shot about Harry/Ginny after a few hours. Small and sweet.
Stay tuned for tomorrow!
Cabba.