It felt no better to be cramped in the car with Piers and Dudley the second time around. They wanted to give him as little space as possible. Vernon was ranting about him not doing anything 'strange.' Harry couldn't care less; he'd heard it before.
To think he once thought this the best day of his life. He just stared out the window now, admiring the scenery that whooshed by. It was nice to slow down occasionally, to respect the world he lived in. Piers and Dudley were deep in conversation. Probably talking about Dudley's new toys.
Harry had used to always be jealous of the toys Dudley received. Now, he almost pitied the spoiled boy. It was hard to explain, but by being spoiled, Dudley would not know the real world. That didn't seem right to Harry; Dudley had once apologized.
And Piers had always seemed off to Harry. The skinny, rat-like boy with brown hair and eyes was at times meaner than even Dudley. Harry let his thoughts take him.
"Boy! Get out of the car!" Harry turned to Vernon; the man was already a few shades red. Harry had gotten so sucked into the scenery he hadn't realized the car stopped. Harry shook his head to clear it; he could almost hear the muddled thoughts bouncing around in his skull.
He opened the door and joined the small, aggravated-looking group. As they started walking, Dudley and Piers purposefully shoved him, making him stumble slightly. He had the strong impulse to push them straight back. He followed along with the group, staying behind them barely.
It was a busy Saturday, just like before. And the Dursleys were once again roped into getting him a cheap ice pop. It wasn't as good as he remembered. But the gorilla was still as funny as before. He really did look exactly like Dudley.
The animals were happy and fat-looking. Most weren't doing anything interesting. They were just animals. He had no clue why Dudley would even want to come to the zoo. It wasn't a terrible place, though if there weren't so many people, it would be more peaceful.
The two kids soon grew tired of the animals. They stopped at the same restaurant for lunch. Mr. Dursley bought both Piers and Dudley a knickerbocker glory. Though unlike before, the treat had the perfect amount of ice cream on top for Dudley.
It caught Harry off guard; he wondered what else would change this time around. When the kids had finished the treats, Dudley elected to head to the reptile house. He must have thought there would be more exciting animals there.
Harry knew he could change what happened here; this day didn't have to end badly. But there was no way he was going to let that poor snake rot in its cage. It wasn't worth just saving his own hide.
He recalled once again a snake named Sasha from his recovered memory. It was a garden snake if his mind served him right. She was a tiny little snake but almost motherlike to him. She was blurry when he tried to remember her. It brings him tears. Her end was not a kind one.
Dudley made his way to the most giant snake in the place. It was curled up, uninterested in the world around it. Harry smiled at this; he wished he could live like that. So, uncaring of what went on around him.
To be fair, though, he was a snake, and Harry was human. Dudley's snout was pressed up against the glass. The poor janitor would have to clean that later, well, unless the glass happened to disappear, of course.
"Make it move!" Dudley whined to Vernon, like the man could control the snake. But Vernon still obliged his pig-like son. Using his fat knuckles to rap against the glass, the snake, of course, didn't budge.
"Do it again!" Dudley ordered, and Vernon obeyed. He knocked the glass harsher. The snake paid no mind to the humans trying to bother it, just continuing to snooze.
"This is boring." Dudley sighed as he shuffled away. Harry shook his head. Honestly, though, what did he expect? He slid over to the snake, staring at its sleeping form. Its eyes slid open like he had felt Harry's stare. It raised its head in a perfect slithering motion until its eyes were level with Harry's.
Just like before, it winked, still unnatural for a snake to do. Harry grinned and winked straight back. He imagined the snake was a little surprised. Not many humans would have winked at a snake. Maybe the snake thought he was crazy.
"You get that a lot, don't you? What a boring life you must live..." Harry hissed it out in parseltongue; it slid right from his mouth. The snakes' eyes widened considerably; it was quite the sight.
"You speak snake? How?" Harry's grin widened even more. It was interesting to see a snake who didn't know of the ability. Harry just shook his head; he didn't have time to explain.
"I don't have a lot of time, but I can get you out of here." The snake seemed to understand, nodding its head. Suddenly a deafening shout was heard behind him.
"DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME LOOK AT THE SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT ITS DOING!" Piers had shouted at the top of his lungs. Dudley had come waddling toward him and the snake, pushing Harry to the ground to get closer to the tank. Harry felt his anger spark, and as if it were not there, to begin with, the glass vanished.
Piers and Dudley leaped back from where there had previously been glass. The giant boa constrictor slithered out of the tank, across the floor as people ran toward exits.
"Where are you going?" He hoped everybody was too panicked to notice him talking to the snake. Harry wanted to see that the snake stayed safe after all. It stopped and locked eyes with Harry.
"Brazil." Harry guessed as much, but now he didn't know if the snake could make it.
"That would be a long journey...Would you like to stay with me? I don't have much room, but I can promise you as much freedom as you wish." Harry hadn't even really thought about it, a surely impulsive decision. But it might serve to have a gigantic snake on his side.
"I think I will; you seem less dumb compared to other humans. If worse comes to worst, I can always leave from your home..." The snake slithered up his leg and curled around it. A bulge evident unless you knew a colossal snake was hiding there.
The zookeeper was in shock, repeatedly asking himself where the glass went. He made Petunia some tea and apologized. Of course, by the time they were in the car, Piers and Dudley said the snake nearly bit their legs off. Harry almost laughed out loud when he heard the snake say it would rather eat dirt.
"Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?" Of course, Piers had to interject. He couldn't just shut up. He shot the boy a glare that seemed to shock him. Clearly, he hadn't expected Harry to react. What fantasy world did he live in? Though, the Harry he was used to usually would just gulp.
He could feel the tension those words caused; he would be in trouble when he got home. Vernon was already clenching his steering wheel. When Dudley and Piers said their goodbyes and they arrived home, Vernon finally spoke.
"Go - cupboard – stay – no meals." He practically hissed, then followed Petunia into the house. When Harry walked in, he had collapsed on his chair, a large brandy in hand. Harry did as told, making a beeline for the cupboard.
As he shut the door behind him, the snake unwrapped itself from his leg. Slowly lowering itself until it was on the ground, it took in its surroundings.
"Better than a cage, I suppose. At least there are no gawking kids..." Harry laughed at that. At least the snake was optimistic? He thought about how this snake would change things. He probably shouldn't reveal it to anyone. It shall be his secret pet.
Harry watched the snake curl up on his cot. He swore it smiled before it shut its eyes. He would have to ask its name when it awoke next. His stomach grumbled rather nosily, reminding him of his predicament.
He knew he was in for a long punishment. Vernon got really angry at this mistake, probably him thinking his son's life was at stake. Harry didn't believe that indeed was the reason. Harry sighed. At least this time, he had the company of a rather friendly snake.
Ok maybe this is a bit strange...But I got the impulse to use the snake and you know what? He's a character, deal with it. But thanks so much for reading!
-Lemon Nugget