Sorry guys, I didn't even realise the original chapter was full of mistakes, so I edited it, and here it is!
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"Talking"
"Parstletongue"
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Chapter 10
When Callia arrived back at Riddle Manor, she wanted nothing more then to be left alone. She took Tera up to her room, and set her down on the rug in front of the ever-blazing fire with Nagini. Tera slithered to her mothers side, and the two snakes curled together, a pretty mix of green and purple.
Callia grabbed the wireless radio she had for years and found a music channel playing the Twisted Sisters, and turned it up full blast until it filled the whole room. She then lay down on her bed and buried her head in the pillow.
That was how her father found her ten minutes later, and he walked over and placed a hand on her back. She shook him off, but otherwise didn't acknowledge him. The Dark Lord sighed and left the room, knowing his daughter wanted to be alone.
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It was over an hour before Callia moved. All the while she had been laying down she had been thinking. Now she realised she had overreacted, and got up, planning to go over an apologise to Draco. When she found her hands still shaking in anger she reeled in her magic and decided to leave it until morning. Instead she walked silently downstairs to find a book on snakes, to see if she could find out anything more about Tera. Callia had just rounded the corner and stood in the door to the library when she froze.
Sirius and Severus were sitting extremely close, heads bent, whispering about something. Sirius also had his hand resting high on Severus' thigh under the table. Callia slowly backed out and down the corridor, then walked towards the library again, this time stamping her feet as if she were still annoyed as she approached. She didn't wanted to interrupt them, but she wanted the book on snakes.
It worked.
Just as Callia stomped into the room Sirius and Severus broke apart, and Sirius' hand shot back to rest on his own thigh, curled into a fist. Severus plastered his trademark sneer on his face and sat glaring at the fire. Callia ignored both of them, walking over to the shelf of books on animals. When she found the one she was looking for, she summoned it then quickly left the room.
When she had gone, Severus sighed and the sneer left his face. Sirius huffed and replaced his hand on Severus' thigh.
"That was too close..." Severus muttered, before unwillingly pushing Sirius' hand away. Sirius growled in displeasure, but pulled his hand back.
"Why don't you want her to know?" Sirius asked quietly. He had become quite fond of Callia, mostly because she was just as mad as her mother, if not worse. Plus she was his family.
"It would only complicate things. Plus, I don't think she would understand..." Severus sighed, and quickly erected a privacy shield around the two before plonking himself down on Sirius' lap. Said man didn't complain, just wrapped his arms around Severus.
"I think she would. She is one of the smartest people I know, Sev. And I know she would be happy for you, for the both of us."
Severus sighed; he knew it was true. She would want them both to be happy. She had formed quite a strong bond with Sirius ever since meeting him (and no, he was NOT jealous!), and he knew for a fact they thought of each other as family.
"Maybe we should tell her before she goes back? It would make things a lot less awkward if I was to suddenly start turning up in your office at Hogwarts..." Sirius trailed off when Severus raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"What makes you think you shall be 'turning up' in my office?" Severus asked with an amused smirk. A full-blown grin spread across Sirius' face.
"Just try and stop me!"
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Callia was on her bed, the book about magical snakes open in front of her, but she was not seeing any of the words on the pages. She was deep in thought about what she had seen.
Obviously Severus had forgiven Sirius, somehow, and now they were... Lovers? Callia didn't know, but made a mental note to ask her godfather, or perhaps Sirius, next time they were alone.
Callia forced all thoughts from her mind as she focused on the book in front of her. Tera had been changing size lately, only small amounts but Callia had noticed. She also seemed to change her colour when she was in a particularly bad mood; she changed from her normal magnificent purple to a dark purple, almost black, and sometimes a deep crimson.
Callia had wanted to find out more with out asking her father, so she had hunted down this book. When she came to a passage that was interesting, her eyes widened.
"Nagini?" said snake eyed her lazily.
"Yes, child?"
"Come up here please. There is something I would like you to see..." Nagini hissed worriedly at the tone in Callia's voice, but detangled herself from her sleeping daughter and slid up onto the bed next to Callia. "Read this."
Callia thrust the book under the giant snakes nose, only pulling it back when the snake turned back to her.
"Well? That sounds a lot like Tera to me! Nagini, why didn't you tell me?" Callia hissed, pouting.
"I wanted you to figure it out on your own, child, and you did. If you hadn't figured it out soon I was going to tell you before you left. It is good for a witch or wizard to learn as much as they can of their familiar."
"Yes, Nagini, I know that!" Callia hissed, not at all pleased. "But you could have at least told me she wasn't like you!"
"Wasn't like me how, child?" Callia responded by reading the paragraph that had caught her attention.
"'Some kind of magical snakes, especially those who intentionally only breed once, will often pass on powers to their young. These baby snakes, often only one, have been known to posses the power to change colour, size and even sex. When the snake is young it will have little control over theses powers, but as it reaches the 2 month mark, they will often start to control themselves; until this time their size and colour many change with their moods. Many have been known to change colour and size daily, while others stick to just one. Some snakes have even changed sex just to breed with another snake (both magical and non-magical) of the same sex. These snakes are almost never born green, but mostly purple, blood red, black or bright yellow.' The following page goes on to explain how the breeding snake, that would be you, if so chooses to conceive with out a mate then it is 5 times more likely to have a snake with powers such as these.'!" Callia hissed, not impressed with Nagini.
Besides, Tera was barely a month old, and would not learn to properly learn to control herself until a month after they would be at Hogwarts.
"Oh, for Merlin's sake, don't go getting all stroppy on me child!" Nagini hissed.
"Oh bite me Nagini." If the snake could, it would have raised an eyebrow.
Nagini let out a long hiss and Tera roused from her sleep and slithered up to settle on the bed. Callia sent the book flying to her desk with a flick of her wrist and then lay down, one snake on either side of her.
"Now, child, I can tell that this thing with Tera is not the only thing bothering you. Now tell me, or I might just take you up on your offer..."
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Draco slipped out of Malfoy Manor later that night, right after Pansy had fallen asleep, and Flooed over to Riddle Manor. It was nearly midnight but Draco was not surprised to see the Dark Lord still awake, sitting in his living room, but he was surprised to see Sirius and Severus talking quietly with him. And them sitting together, Sirius' hand once again on Severus' thigh.
"She is in her room Draco, but you would be best not to disturb her at this moment, or you may be running from more then one snake..." Voldemort muttered when Draco stopped at the door, not even looking up. Draco groaned but headed up to the room anyway.
When he pushed open her bedroom he groaned again, internally this time so as not to wake any of the magical beings on the bed. Callia was curled up in a ball, Tera curled in her arms while Nagini was lying against the little girls back, facing the door. She hissed when Draco came in, but he refused to back down. Not this time.
"Nagini, please. I know you can understand me. Please just let me apologise." Draco slowly walked up to the bed as he said this, and leaned down to pat the Dark Lords familiar. Draco had no doubt Callia had told her what happened, but he was still surprised when the snake moved to curl at Callia's feet. Draco smiled at the snake before taking her position at Callia's back. He wrapped his arms tightly around his cousin, drawing her to his chest. "I'm sorry, Cal, I really am." Draco whispered against her hair.
Nagini gave one final warning hiss at Draco before settling down, and he didn't have to speak Parstletongue to figure out what she was saying.