Note to self: you don't own this, you don't own this, you don't own this …
.
.
28. A variety of snakes
Harry pushed aside the thrill of tonight's hunt as he helped Ginny stand from the breakfast table. He and Ginny had a date in Hogsmeade to enjoy, and he fully intended to do so instead of obsessing about tonight's activities. Most of Harry's friends had brought their outdoor cloaks with them so they managed to be among the first to leave the castle and head to the village. The friends enjoyed the walk, glad that the weather was mild, with little snow on the ground despite it being late February. As they arrived in Hogsmeade they split into smaller groups for shopping, many agreeing to meet at The Three Broomsticks for lunch.
Leaving the rest behind, Harry guided Ginny toward their first destination. He wanted to formally introduce Ginny to his uncle. The gruff man seemed pleased to be introduced to his favorite nephew's girlfriend. Harry had tried to point out he was the man's only nephew, but Abe snickered as he qualified Harry's remark – 'only one we know about.' As the couple enjoyed their free mugs of warm Butterbeer, Abe shared one of his favorite stories about his brother; this one about his disastrous first date with Bathsheba Prewett, which ended before it could begin when Albus accidentally turned her mother into an oriental rug while trying to show off. Ginny laughed so hard she almost choked, and she swore to ask her mother if Bathsheba was a relative.
Eventually the pub started to fill, and the couple decided it was time to leave. They spent the rest of their morning doing a bit of shopping before finally making their way toward The Three Broomsticks. As they took a shortcut down a side street, Harry stopped short when he heard the sound of a girl crying. Now, Harry really didn't like dealing with crying girls ('avoiding them like the plague' is how he often described it), but when he recognized the girl his 'saving people thing' kicked into gear, and he pulled Ginny toward the sound.
A few steps off the beaten path was Hannah Abbott, Harry's fellow Arithmancy O.W.L. student, leaning against a tree. She was rubbing her face as if she didn't want anyone to find her crying. An astonished Ginny watched as her boyfriend approached the embarrassed Hufflepuff and began speaking, casually asking her what her plans were for the day without the slightest hint that he had just caught her crying. After a bit of coaxing Hannah explained that her friend Susan had made a last-minute lunch date, abandoning her for the rest of day. She confessed that she was uncomfortable being left alone ever since her mother's near-death at the hands of Death Eaters earlier in the school year. By unspoken consent the two invited her to join their group for lunch, and she eagerly accepted, glad for the company.
Entering the inn, Harry scanned the room and spotted Neville and Hermione already seated at a large table near the back. He was surprised when he recognized Terry Boot sitting next to Hermione, but judging by the smug look on Ginny's face, the boy's presence wasn't by accident. The three had just made it to the table when Luna Lovegood entered alone, and Ginny motioned for her to join as well, making it a diverse but lively crowd around their table. Since there were new people to the group conversation was stilted at first, but by the time the food was arriving, they had mellowed and everyone seemed to be enjoying each other. After the food had been eaten Harry treated everyone to Butterbeer, and the conversation turned away from school and toward non-consequential things (by silent agreement all talk of the war had been avoided).
Luna's contribution to the discussion had caught everyone's attention. She was explaining about a new animal that had been spotted at the London Zoo, which she said looked like an ordinary elephant but was really a nauga, with the ability to make people throw peanuts at it by looking them in their eye. As she continued her description of the strange animal, Ginny could see that Hermione was about to lose her self-battle to not argue with the blond. So when Luna stopped to take a drink, Ginny blurted out, "I'd love to go to a muggle zoo some time. You've been, haven't you Harry?"
This surprised Neville, who asked, "When did you ever go to a zoo, Harry? I thought your family didn't take you anywhere?"
Harry offhandedly replied, "Oh, well, one time for Dudley's birthday, no one could watch me, so they had to take me along. It was rather enjoyable, all things considered."
Hermione got a far-away look for a moment before jumping in her seat as she exclaimed: "I remember! In second year, you said, 'I did set a boa constrictor on my cousin once.' That's the trip you're talking about isn't it?"
Harry was flabbergasted at his friend's memory. "Yeah, that's the trip. How did you remember that? We had that conversation, what, four years ago? I mean, I can only assume that you are quoting correctly, I can't remember word for word."
Hermione blushed. "Well, it was rather important at the time. You had just revealed that you could speak parseltongue to the school. You never did tell us the whole story."
So Harry told the tale of his first - and only - trip to the zoo. By the time he was done recounting Dudley and his friend's descriptions of their 'vicious attack', his audience was in stitches, even Hannah and Terry, who admittedly weren't as comfortable with Harry's parseltongue abilities as the others.
Ginny smiled slyly, turning to Harry to say, "I'd like to go there some time, and see this killer snake for myself. What do you think, Harry, can I meet your snake some time?"
To the rest of the group, this sounded like an honest question, but Harry was all too aware of the hand on his leg, hidden from view, that was slowly moving up his thigh. He looked his girlfriend directly in the eye, as he put his hand on top of hers and guided the wayward hand even higher in a silent dare, and replied, "I'd love for you to meet my snake some time. Maybe I can coax it out of its cage and you can hold it."
Hermione noticed the way her two friends were gazing at each other, and decided that their conversation might not be as innocent as it sounded. Unfortunately, no one else had figured this out yet, as evidenced by Hannah's comment, "I've never held a snake before. What's it like?"
Harry smiled as he replied, "They can be shy at first, but once you start stroking them, they don't want you to stop, and they let you know it. They feel warm in your hands, and are very smooth to the touch." He glanced back at Ginny as he said this last part, and was pleased to notice a light blush on her cheeks.
"Really?" Neville said. "I would have thought they would be rough. You know, from the scales." Although Neville was speaking to Harry, the other boy was watching his girlfriend intently, which Neville found decidedly odd. And come to think of it, both of their hands seemed to be missing. Suddenly, Neville - who wasn't as naive as others always took him to be – figured out what was going on. Deciding to have some fun, he looked at Hermione and asked, "What about you, Hermione? Have you ever held a snake?"
Harry turned to Neville as he said this, and caught the other boy's wink. 'Neville, you dog.'
Now Hermione was indeed a bright witch, but in this instance her intellect failed her, for she had no idea that Neville knew Harry and Ginny were not talking about reptiles. And so, she gave an honest answer. "Actually, I have. Harry's right, it was surprisingly smooth. But truth be told, I found the whole thing to be a bit intimidating. I mean, it was so big, and it kept wiggling. I had to use both hands just to keep a firm hold on it."
By this point, Terry – Ravenclaw that he was – had picked up the undercurrent of the conversation and was trying not to laugh. Neville kept his face neutral as he replied, "Maybe you just need someone to show you the right way to hold it?"
Hermione gave Neville a funny look. Did he know how that sounded?
Luna, who up to this point had appeared more interested in her drink than the conversation, finally spoke up. "It must be fascinating to talk to a snake. I imagine they have such interesting things to say."
Under the table, Ginny pulled her hand off Harry's thigh, and moved her fingertips to his stomach, just above the waist band of his jeans. She loved it when he wore muggle clothes. Smiling innocently, she said, "Oh, wouldn't that be special. What do you say, Harry? Do you think I can talk to your snake?"
Harry shifted closer to Ginny as he replied, "Nothing would make me happier. I can even teach you the right way to do it."
"Don't be ridiculous, Harry," Hermione cut in, "none of us can talk to snakes."
"I'm sure I can teach Ginny to talk to my snake. It's all in the tongue." He winked at his girlfriend as he said this, noticing too late the evil smile on her face. He had to fake a cough to cover his moan as he felt Ginny's fingers dip under his waistband. His snake was definitely wanting to talk to Ginny now.
Neville looked right at Hermione, who was turning an interesting shade of red at Harry's comment, and decided to have one last bit of fun. As Hermione took another sip of her Butterbeer, he said, "I'm not picky, I would settle for someone just petting my snake." And with that, Hermione nearly spit her drink across the table. It was at that moment that she realized that Neville wasn't as innocent as he looked. Even Hannah had caught on, and she too was looking at Neville in a new light.
By this point, Harry and Ginny had clearly forgotten that they were not alone. They didn't even notice as the others finished up and left. But some time later, they would truly appreciate the notice-me-not charm Hermione had cast on her way out the door.
-000-
The trip to the village had ended, in Harry's opinion, much too soon; and in no time dinner was over and he was on his way to find another Horcrux. Hidden under his cloak, he followed Albus to the Room of Requirement, one thought on his mind: am I ready to go to the next level with Ginny? Oh, he knew he should be focused on the task at hand, but that was proving hard, er, difficult. So deep was he in thought that he plowed right into Albus' back side, never noticing his leader stop nor the third person in the hall.
"Ah, Severus, I see you have taken my warning to heart, and are keeping the students away from this location. Have there been any intruders?" Albus had asked the right question; Snape forgot all about the strange noise he had just heard to give his report.
"Misters Malfoy and Goyle walked past earlier, but did not appear to be trying to enter, and left the area without incident. I apprehended Mister Weasley and Miss Brown this afternoon, heading for what I assume was to be a sordid groping session, though given Weasley's lack of finesse on the broom, one wonders how enjoyable it would have been for Miss Brown. I took 20 points each from Gryffindor and assigned detentions. There have been no others that I have seen, but I am certain your golden boy will make an appearance at some point. The promise of imminent death will be too much for him to resist."
Albus surreptitiously reached behind himself to squeeze Harry's arm in an attempt to remind him to control himself. "Twenty points each and detention, you say? I seem to recollect an incident in your Seventh Year near the Astronomy Tower with a certain Miss Abercromby. As I recall, you argued that points alone should be the penalty for being out of bounds as there was no proof of anything illicit."
Snape gritted his teeth. "And I am certain you also recall that I did not win that argument."
Albus smiled, "Yes, of course. I merely bring it up to remind you what life is like for an enchanted young couple."
Harry thought that was a rather strange way to describe horny teenagers, but then, his guardian was a rather strange man. He heard Albus politely but firmly dismiss Snape, saying he hoped to clear the area tonight. It was apparent that Snape was curious what the real problem was, but refrained himself from asking. With a curt nod, he turned and stormed out of the area, no doubt hoping to catch more students breaking rules before turning in for the night. When he was out of range, Albus cast spells on both ends of the corridor to repel unwanted guests – 'I wonder why he didn't just do that in the first place?' – and motioned for Harry to remove his cloak and get to work.
Moving into position, Harry began to pace, all the while thinking 'I need to see the room in my dream'. The door appeared, and Harry opened it to reveal, not a cluttered storage room as expected, but the tower room he and Ginny frequented, albeit with a bed where the sofa belonged. Instantly feeling hot under the collar, Harry mumbled something about the wrong dream and pulled the door closed. By the twinkle in Albus' eye, he feared he would hear about this later.
Pacing again, he tried to be as specific as possible. The last thing he needed was to see where Riddle used to snog girls, if he even did (that thought sent a shudder down Harry's spine). He thought 'I need the room where Riddle hid the tiara.' Deciding it was better to be safe than sorry, he opened the door just a crack, only pushing it wide open when it appeared to be right this time.
Stepping into the room, they were able to see that finding the crown would be no easy feat. The place was practically over-flowing with junk. Harry moved to the closest pile, noticing the empty sherry bottles mixed in with several potions vials, many of those still full. Looking around, he was sure he spotted a firewhisky label or two, and what looked like a box of Ton-Tongue Toffee. Scanning the room, he could tell that it had been in use for ages – there was an old suit of armor, its head hopelessly bashed in, wearing an out-of-style set of Slytherin Quidditch robes. Off to the other side he saw a racing broom that he recognized from a magazine – the Cosmic Shooter, not sold since the 1700's, recognizable by its star-shaped end. It had clearly been here for some time. Most telling, perhaps, was the vanishing cabinet that had been broken just last year. That meant the room was definitely still in use. Albus spoke up from where he was looking in a trunk, "It appears we have found the castle's lost and found. Perhaps this summer we should have a yard sale, and dispose of some of these treasures, as there is no doubt their owners will not be claiming them."
Both finished their rummaging and Harry stood back as Albus moved to a clear area. He began slowly turning himself around, his wand drawn and pointing directly in front of him. It was leaving a trail of light blue mist in its wake, so that when Albus came to a stop he was surrounded by a perfect circle.
"I can detect no magical repellants in the room. But then, Voldemort is very good at his magic, so that is not surprising. Still, it leaves us with a room full of items and no discernable way to search for one amid the masses." He seemed to be deep in thought for a moment. "Perhaps your connect with Voldemort's magic would suit us today?"
Harry reluctantly agreed, and tried to concentrate on any feelings from Voldemort in hopes of feeling his 'presence' in the room. After a few minutes it was clear it wouldn't work. "Sorry, but I can't tell. It doesn't always seem to be there."
"Ah, well, in the grander scheme of things, we should be relieved that is the case. It was perhaps a mistake on my part to have you even try, given the catastrophe that could have befallen us had you mistakenly reached Voldemort and not just his Horcrux. In any event, we shall have to search in a more mundane manner."
Harry agreed and the two walked further into the room, Albus moving a short way down one of the aisles while Harry hung back and picked up an old book. He wasn't really looking for the tiara, instead he was thinking about Albus' out-of-character 'oops' moment. In the past he was sure he would have voiced his reluctance before acting, and he couldn't help but wonder why he had not done so now. Try as he might, he could not come up with a reason, but he did promise himself that he would be more vocal in the future so such mistakes could be avoided.
"Eureka!" Albus suddenly shouted, pulling Harry from his thought. He spun around, expecting to see Albus holding the tiara. Instead, he found the old man quickly returning to him – empty handed – but clearly as excited as a school boy.
"Of course, it is so simple that I very nearly overlooked it," Albus told him. "I asked you to reach out to the wrong magic. After all, Voldemort's is not the only magic you are attuned to. Do you think, Harry, you would be willing to try an experiment?"
Harry looked at his guardian, a surprised look dawning on his face as he figured out what Albus was going on about. He allowed himself to be maneuvered into a nearby chair (looking remarkably like one of those the Headmaster liked to conjure), and closed his eyes as he got comfortable. Then he inhaled slowly, and reached out to feel the castle's magic. After only a moment, he exclaimed, "I feel it. It's comfortable, like a warm blanket, and welcoming."
The twinkle in Albus' eyes could have lit the entire room on the darkest of nights, at least it would if it was as bright as Harry imagined it must be. Albus stooped down to Harry's level, and spoke softly to the boy. "Now, holding on to that comfort, reach out and see if you can sense anything else. Do you feel anything?"
Harry was quiet for a moment, his slow breathing an indication of how immersed he was in the magic of the room. He slowly nodded his head and smiled, not even aware he was doing so as he said, "Yes, there's lots of stuff. Lots of feelings, fear, excitement, and something … desperation, maybe? But it's all vague, like I can't really touch it."
"To be expected," Albus intoned. "The need to hide ones things is not normally associated with happiness. Now, concentrate again on the comfort, and tell me if you feel anything else; something different, unfriendly or perhaps something trying to stay hidden."
As Harry relaxed into the feeling, he seemed to sink deeper into the chair, his head falling back. When he spoke again, it was barely a whisper, "there is something else now, a familiar magic, and it feels almost hostile. It's like when I can feel Voldemort, only quieter, or softer. It's hard to describe."
"Good, good. Do you think you can find the source of this feeling?"
Instead of answering, Harry raised his right arm, and held his hand out as if waiting for someone to hand something to him. After a few seconds, Albus heard a rattling, and when he turned to look, he saw the tiara floating toward the outstretched hand.
Just as it would have touched Harry's skin, Albus used the hem of his robe to catch it. Holding the tiara at arms length, he told Harry to stop concentrating and open his eyes. Laughing, he added, "Forgive me for saying so, but I truly did not expect that to work. Once again, you surprise me, my boy." And giving Harry a pat on his shoulder, he moved away to begin the task of destroying the Horcrux.
It was, Harry felt, rather anti-climactic. After helping retrieve the ring, he had expected something more – exploding furniture, or maybe biting booze bottles, or something. Shrugging, Harry decided not to question their luck, and arose from the chair to see what Albus was going to do next.
A short distance from where Harry had been sitting, Albus had pulled forth an old table that was about to fall apart, and with a couple of swishes of his wand, the table was clean, whole, and sturdy again. He pulled a cloth sack from one of his robe pockets and set it on the table. As the sack fell open, the items inside seemed to resize so that on the table were a deep iron cauldron, a silver flask, and a flat piece of circular black metal about a quarter of an inch thick. Albus placed the tiara inside the cauldron and motioned Harry to come closer.
He explained, "I thought we would try something a bit different. There are, after all, other ways to destroy a Horcrux, and by employing an alternate method, we can conserve the remaining basilisk venom, as it has other uses to which it could be employed. We would not want you to have to run out and slay another basilisk, now would we?"
Harry was surprised that his guardian was joking at a time like this, but he joined in the laughter. "I think I could manage another one, but we would probably have to wrestle it away from Hagrid first, and that would prove to be the real challenge."
"Quite true," Albus said with a laugh. "But for now, let us get on with the task at hand. I need you to hold the flask, and do not touch the cauldron, as I work." When Harry was in place, flask in hand, Albus began. A stream of fire hit the tiara, crackling loudly as it tried to consume all it touched. Albus watched closely, and just as the flame began to lick at the lip of the cauldron, he levitated the flat metal over the cauldron and, dropped it on top of the opening, and caused the metal to melt into a tight seal. The flames were trapped inside the cauldron, and would stay there until they had burned themselves out, well after having consumed all that lie inside. Albus explained that the cauldron and lid were made of a heavy iron that was impervious to Fiendfyre. "Now, we wait for the cauldron to cool."
Harry started to nod before realizing they had forgotten something. "But Professor, what about the flask?"
Albus merely smiled, and took the flask from Harry. Uncapping the lid, he brought the flask to his mouth, and took a sip. "Ah, not as refined as Confederate Firewhisky, but it hits the spot. Something to calm the nerves, Harry?" He passed the flask to Harry, who brought it to his nose and sniffed. It smelled like alcohol. Looking to his guardian, and seeing him give an encouraging nod, Harry took a sip. Yep, definitely firewhisky, and this time there was no ex-Professor in sight; he'd learned that lesson. Albus took the flask back, and holding it up, said "cheers". He took another drink, then tried to pass it back to Harry.
Now, it would be misleading to say that Harry had only had that one experience with alcohol. Right after that fiasco with Slughorn, Harry had sworn to himself that he would not drink again, but then Uncle Abe had served him Veela wine on his date with Ginny, and then he had gotten his own bottle of firewhisky for Christmas, which of course he had sampled. But Albus offering him the drink – especially after the telling off they had both received from Professor McGonagall – caused him to hesitate. He looked to Albus as if to ask if this was truly alright.
Albus seemed to have no trouble interpreting the look (Harry really was an open book to a skilled Legilimens), and laughed; this time a full out, no holds barred laugh. "Certainly you are not afraid of Minerva, Harry." As Harry still did not take the flask, he continued, "well, perhaps is it best that you are, seeing as she is your Head of House. But trust me in this, there is not enough whiskey in this flask to get either one of us inebriated, let alone both. Besides, I happen to know for a fact that she is locked away in her rooms for the evening, so she is unlikely to know. In other words, my dear boy, when the cat's away the mice will play." And laughing at his own joke, he helped himself to another drink before pressing the flask into Harry's open hand.
Harry took a full swig this time before pushing the flask back toward Albus. Like before, he could feel the warmth spreading though his body, and once again felt like he was safe and comfortable. He vaguely noticed the feeling was quite similar to how he felt when immersed in the castle's magic. He was pulled from his musings when Albus announced it was 'done'. Startled, Harry looked up, surprised that his laughing, drinking guardian had been replaced so quickly by the serious Headmaster. Had he just had a fleeting glimpse of the real man; not the defeater of Grindelwald and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot; but Albus, the boy that gave tours to his brother's goats? He rather thought he had, and it made him feel warmer than any firewhisky ever could.
Albus removed the seal from the cauldron, and the tell-tale stream of black vapor floated up and evaporated. Harry realized as he watched that they were another step closer to victory, but also another step closer to the inevitable show down. Albus must have noticed his mood, for he gave him another drink before putting the flask away. Having cleaned up the area, the two had turned toward the door to go their separate ways, when Harry abruptly cried out and fell to his knees, his hands pressed to his scar.
"No," he screamed, in a high-pitched voice that sounded little like his own, "my Nagini, no!" He continued to cry out as his body shook for about five minutes, Albus watching helplessly as he crouched down next to him. When the trembling stopped Harry collapsed onto the floor, and was unable to do anything beyond roll to his side as he vomited roughly. After his stomach stopped convulsing, he became aware of someone holding him tightly against their body and gently rubbing his back. He could feel himself still shaking, and grabbed onto the person – it had to be Albus, his mind registered – for support. Laying his head on his guardian's shoulder, he took a few breaths before he spoke.
"He's in immense pain. He was possessing Nagini. He must have been using her to spy again … I don't know where … but something went wrong; he was ... I don't know, shocked, I guess. That's what pulled me into the vision, I think. There was this giant dragon towering over us, er, Nagini, and it struck us. I mean her. It had her tail pressed to the ground with one of its claws, and it attacked. Must have been a Horntail, because it had spikes on its tail, and it got her with those three or four times, once near the head. She was trying to bite it, and I think she finally succeeded in getting it on its under belly, because it screeched in pain and let up. That's when the vision ended. But I was able to feel what he felt. He was pissed that the plan failed, but he was worried, too. He's afraid she might not survive. He's really worried, Sir."
** end chapter **
Notes: Why tiara and not diadem? I just don't like that word.
A nauga – according to Luna Lovegood a magical animal often mistaken for an ordinary elephant. The name is from an animal I heard about as a child, the nauga, from which naugahyde is made.
