Author's note again! Hey guys, I'm sorry the updates have been getting slow! I'll give you a little explanation to go with my apology: college. I promise I'm not going to quit this story until it's done, but now you know that when updates are slow in coming, it's because I've been brain fried from homework. This chapter has a little bit of a twist, and just so you guys know, sometimes the story writes itself, so even I didn't see this one coming! Again, thank you for all the positive reviews, (I read all of them!) and I am so glad you guys are enjoying the story! Enjoy!

-Pneuma

It was Tom's birthday, and he was turning two. It was also New Year's Eve, so London was busy with people looking for various things to help celebrate the event. Zia wove in and out of passersby as she traveled through the streets of London, turning down one street then another. Tom was with Nana Mary and Papa Charlie so that she could pick up his birthday present. She almost walked right by a bookshop when something in the window caught her eye. Smiling, she walked inside the shop.

"May I see your book on snakes please?" she asked the elderly man at the front desk. He eyed her curiously through his spectacles, and she could tell he was wondering what she wanted it for, but he got up and pulled the book from the window. Returning, he handed it to her so she could inspect it. The book was new and well bound. She opened it and flipped through the chapters, looking at the various illustrations and skimming the bits of information found there. Deeming it satisfactory, she asked "How much?" The man pursed his lips slightly, and she could almost see the gears working in his head as he calculated a price.

"Two pounds," he responded. Zia opened her purse and rifled through it for several seconds, triumphantly pulled out the two pounds, and handed them to the old man. He took them and then wrapped the book in brown paper, tied it up with string, and handed it to her.

"Thank you," she told him, and left the store. The book wasn't Tom's big present, but she thought he might like having a new choice for their bedtime reading. Zia had a very small collection of books at their apartment, comprised mainly of old books from Nana Mary and Papa Charlie. Sometimes she would get a newspaper and bring that home to read if there were any articles she thought he might like. They read every evening. He would climb onto her lap, she would hold the book in front of both of them, and then she would read out loud as he looked at the pages. This would be his first new book, as all of the others were used and tattered.

She continued her quest through the streets and found the place she was looking for. A little bell tinkled as she walked in and up to the front counter. The clerk here was a younger man, and he already knew what she was there for; she had made arrangements and paid for it in advance. He walked back and very carefully picked up the gift, bringing it up to the counter. She bent down a little and gazed at it, hoped that this was a good decision, and then stood straight again.

"Can you cover it with something so I can take it on the bus?" she asked the man.

"Of course," he smiled, knowing why she would ask him that. Moments later, the gift was ready. She put the package that was the book on her arm using the string tied around it as an anchor, and then with both hands balanced the other gift carefully against her to shield it from the cold outside, thanked the man, and walked to the bus stop. When the bus arrived, she got on and balanced the gift on her lap, being careful not to let it be jostled as the bus moved. Nana Mary and Papa Charlie already knew what it was, and she was glad Nana Mary had been alright with its temporary presence in their cottage. It would be relocated to the apartment at the end of the day.

When she finally arrived back at their home, Papa Charlie walked to meet her at the gate and took the larger gift carefully from her, and then they both walked into the house. Tom ran forward to his aunt and looked up at her eagerly.

"Is it time yet auntie Zia?" he asked, his eyes bright with anticipation. He had somehow deduced that this present was the big one of the year, better than any of the gifts he had received for Christmas, and he had been asking every day. Sometimes she forgot that he was only two since he acted so much older than his age, but she saw no reason to treat him as if he was younger than he acted as she felt that it would be an insult to his intelligence. Zia smiled back down at him.

"It is indeed time, Tom," she told him. "You need to go sit down so you can open them up, alright?" He ran to the big armchair close to the fire and sat in it. She placed the book onto his lap first, and watched as he opened it. Tom was not the kind of child to rip the wrapping off, so they sat there as he carefully nudged the string off, then unfolded the paper.

"A new book!" he exclaimed, picking up the heavy volume with a small amount of effort. He looked at it, then up at Zia. "What is it about?"

"It's about snakes, Tom. I thought it might be nice to have something new to read at bedtime," she answered. He nodded and placed it gently down on the small table next to the chair. Papa Charlie then stepped forward with the big present. This present was a bit too large for Tom's lap, so Papa Charlie placed it on the floor for him to uncover. Tom sat behind it and pulled off the covering. His eyes grew wide as he stared at it, and Zia felt like she might pop open from nerves, now fervently wishing she had picked something else. Anything else.

Inside the glass tank, which was still warm from being held against her, was coiled a small yellow snake. Tom's mouth was open a little bit, and his head snapped up to meet hers.

"It's a real one, isn't it auntie," he said. It was not a question.

"Yes, Tom. You will have to take very good care of it. I bought everything it needs for now, like the warmer for the tank and the little bowls for its water, but it will need food," she told him. He looked back at it. The snake raised its head and looked at Tom through the glass. She knew it was looking at him, she didn't know how she knew, but she knew. Nana Mary smiled at how enthralled Tom looked, then announced that she would be starting dinner. Papa Charlie followed her, and Zia moved to where Tom was and sat next to him on the floor.

"Auntie," he whispered, turning to look at her. "Auntie it's talking to me."

"I know Tom. I knew it would. It's one of your special skills," she whispered back to him. "What is it saying?" Then she stopped speaking. She stopped moving. She leaned closer to the glass, feeling her stomach drop. The snake's head was turned towards her now.

Why don't you listen for yourself, Zia? Tom isn't the only one here who can understand me, is he?

Zia turned her head slowly and found Tom looking back at her. They both stared at each other.

"Auntie, why didn't you tell me you had special skill too?" Tom whispered, speaking in Parseltongue. She found herself unable to speak. The snake spoke for her.

She didn't know.