A couple of things before i begin but I shall attempt to be brief.
First and foremost, I don't own Harry Potter. All real credit goes to JKR who inspired millions. It should go without saying that this is a fanfic.
Secondly, i have read thousands of fanfics. Some great, some not so much. I hope that this, my first fic, can miraculously be the former for you. But the willingness to get made fun of on the off chance of Actually pleasing readers is why we have nice things in fanfiction.
Tertiary thoughts: having read so many fics, as so many have, i will attempt to be as original as possible creatively while at certain times leaning into fic tropes i find useful for moving the plot more quickly. I suspect you won't mind that, however, as i prioritize the fics i read at 100k and wouldn't dare waste extra time for you when i can avoid it. Please accept any similarities to other fics as either unintentional or coincidence. Historical tie ins not bonafide but will be close enough to tie the past to the fantasy for the history buffs out there. If you don't have to/want to google or YouTube a single historical point to see how much license I've taken or not by the end, then I've probably failed. Reality can be stranger than fiction.
Finally, i hope this will be more realistic, gritty, and all around B-A than canon from a Harry perspective. I mean come on folks, where was his letter addressed? Faint of heart be warned, no Gryffindor Golden Boy here. Feel free to comment!
Chapter 1: The Morning Do's
"Get moving Freak!!"
The grating sound, his Aunt Petunia, was the first thing that greeted a seven year old Harry Potter for the past two years. Until then it had been "Wake up Freak," accompanied by the sound of padlocks being unlocked on the outside of his broom cupboard/sleeping area under the stairs and if he was not awakening fast enough a quick slap to the face. Fortunately, or rather unfortunately, one night two years ago his Aunt's husband, the elephant sized Vernon Dursley, had dealt him yet another savage beating. This time it had been a way of venting at having been passed over for a promotion in favor of an Indian colleague of his. The racial rant that ensued was also joined by the metallic buckle side of a thick leather belt. Most unfortunate. The bright side being that, unable to sleep do to the pain, his Aunt came in the next morning with her vitriol only to be met with an already awake Harry shooting her his most vicious glare, blood stains from the night before streaking his face, one arm limp being cradled by the other. He wouldn't know it but, blood aside, it was a look one would have seen on the the face of his late mother when angry. He / also wouldn't know that his emerald orbs were glowing eerily as his Aunt leaned right back out of his cupboard, thoroughly spooked. The beatings from his uncle didn't stop but became more infrequent. But more importantly, the padlocks stayed off. And Harry had another item for the Morning Do's, which were essentially his survival guidelines. Harry had been thinking about that very Do from that morning two years prior as he had waited patiently for his aunt's wake up call. Do the intimidating yourself.
"We are..." Petunia had started to continue through the door, but was interrupted by Harry himself swiftly exiting the cupboard. Closing it behind him he turns and gives her a cold, empty, absolutely unblinkingly silent stare. Content to wait however long necessary for her to continue. It doesn't take long. As with most, she finds his quiet demeanor unsettling.
"We are going to the zoo today when you have finished the chores. Hurry up, and no freakishness in Public!!"
And there it was, one of those rare moments when something she said matched up with his own priorities. For that hit on Do #1 itself. Do all work as effectively, quickly, and efficiently as possible. No need for her to tell him to hurry. Especially with a trip to the zoo at the end of it. I mean come on, "might as well be Christmas," Harry thought as he got to work on his morning chores.
It was roughly two hours later that Harry found himself inside of the "Snake Pit" portion of the reptile exhibit section of the zoo, having extricated himself from his cousin's presence as quickly as humanly possible. It wasn't much of what Harry would have considered a snake pit though. Apparently the snakes were too dangerous to each other and had to be kept in separate habitats. 'Ophiophagus hannah' - The King Cobra read the plaque on the one Harry had walked up close enough to be able to read. Not that Harry had seen it yet though, it was the talking that had caught his attention after all...
"Sssstupid humanssssss!! How dare they lock me up in thissss pathetic cage?!!"
Having heard this the young boy had stopped to make sure he wasn't losing his mind, having heard a snake talking again. Walking back to the center of the habitat he had almost walked past, he thought back to what was, he now realized, indeed the first time he had heard a snake talking. It had been a blisteringly hot morning working in his Aunt's garden, and just as he moved around to prune the side of the last of his Aunt's prized rose bushes he thought he heard "Move out the way!! You're blocking all of the ssssun!!" Looking down Harry saw a tiny looking garden snake. Even hearing a small "thanksss" when he did move as requested. The snake then seemingly wriggled twice and went back to it's nap, unresponsive when Harry tried to talk back to it. This had led him to believe he had imagined the whole thing and he chalked it up to the heat. Though now standing there in front of this tank in the snake pit he was being proven wrong. While he had been musing in his thoughts the assumably young elapid, being only two feet in length with eyes a strikingly familiar shade of green, had made its way up the glass from seemingly nowhere and was kicking up quite the fuss. "Probably should pay attention to what it's saying..."
"...absssssolutely reekssssss of magic. Too bad he'ssss as deaf as my cousssssin Anjesssssh from Nepal. You!! Wielder of magic!! Free me from thissss wretched tank!!! Ssssuch a thing issss but a minor requesssst to you!!!" The snake had grown louder and more passionate the whole time he had been standing there, and had risen up on it's tail in passion by the end of it.
Magic!! Well that explains a few things if it's true, Harry thought. Better get to the bottom of this...
"Excuse me!! There is no need to yell. I can hear you just fine!!'
"A sssspppeaker!!! And a powerful one at that!!! Thank the ssssun!!! Pleassssse free me!!"
"Hold on. You said magic, is that how you are speaking English to me right now?
"Magic yesssss. But we are not sssspeaking Englissssh. You are sssspeaking sssssnake language right now. I heard a wizard on the sssship over from India call it Parssseltoungue. It isssss revered back home but issss reviled here in Britain."
"So that's what i am? A wizard?"
"Yesssss. A very powerful one at that. I can senssse your magical core all the way through thissss barrier. Though i sssmell ssssomething off with it. Like it hassss been damaged and not healed properly. Ssstill... you are far more powerful than even most adult wizardssss i have been around desssspite your youth. Have you really not done magic before?"
"Well at the time i thought I imagined it but a snake did talk to me once in my Aunt Petunia's Garden. It didn't talk back though when i tried to respond."
The snake nodded it's head at this."Yesss, all of the non-magical sssnakessss that i have encountered in my time have been deaf. Anything elsse?"
"This one time i was running away from my bully cousin and his friends and one of them almost caught me as I started going down a hill. I was desperate to get away so I turned left, but I lost my footing and all of sudden I felt as if I got pressed through a garden hose and i was at the bottom of the hill throwing up. I didn't remember bouncing all of the way down at all."
"Yesssssss!!!!! Thisss isss perfect!! Apparition isss how adult wizardsss move from place to place inssstantly. If you can do it accidentally then you can sssurely do it on purpossse with my help. Luckily i have ssseen a youth almosssst grown practicing with hisss father before. Will you help me Wizard?"
"Well i can attest to many things on my person being damaged and not healing properly, but certainly nothing to do with my 'magical core'. Are sure this won't further damage it?'"
"Quite sssure."
"Well learning how to teleport, or apparition as you say, while at the same time being able to free you from this tank is far too tempting to pass up. What do I have to do?"
"Step back and get your balance. Clear your mind first, then focus on this flatter area over here behind me. Picture your whole body where it stands. Then picture your whole body reappearing in the flatter area at the same time. If you Want it badly enough and picture it clearly enough then we can continue this conversation face to face."
"We need to be quick so one last question. How do i avoid getting sick again?"
"Clench the mussscles of your ssstomach as you visssualize before the turn."
With that the snake slithered off to the side to allow him to see his landing spot more clearly. "Alright Potter," Harry thought to himself, "clear your mind, clear your mind. Okay, clear your mind, visualize the landing zone, visualize my body, visualize, visualize. Alright stomach muscles rock hard, then visualize appearing at once on the flat spot as I tu..." And the next thing he knew he was squeezed as he turned. His next sight was looking out from inside the habitat. A two foot long magical king cobra coiled in front of him. At least he hadn't thrown up this time...
"Well done ssspeaker!! Let'ssss move quickly while you have the processss ssstill in your head."
Not much else needing to be said, the snake quickly moved over to and up Harry's body, wrapping it's tail around his arm. Only being secured for ten seconds or so before Harry popped them back to the other side of the glass.
"That wasss much more unpleasssant than it lookssss. But thank you very much ssssspeaker. If you could sssssneak me out of here without doing that again i would be very grateful. I wassss worried i would never tassste freedom again. What do I call the great wizard who hasss saved me?"
"Sure thing, and you're welcome. Oh and you can me Harry, I'm Harry Potter."
At this the snake grew extremely still, looked him in his eyes for a good ten seconds, glanced at the scar on his forehead, then stared him in the eyes for another few seconds before responding.
"I ssssee now that it issss fate that hassss brought ussss together. Den-Mate Harry. In exchange for a bit of knowledge you ssssaved my life. Allow me to bond with you. As your magic growwssss, sssso ssssshall mine. With me alwayssss there for protection, there will be no sssstopping you Masssster Harry. It wouldn't take but a single bite from my fangs to do it and the familiar bond prevent damage from the bite and allow us to sense each other magically."
At this Harry had to pause for a moment and think. It was an intriguing offer. A very intriguing offer. To have a magical king cobra to back him. He certainly couldn't keep it at #4 Privet Drive, but now that he could teleport would he really want to stay there anyway? An ability this snake had helped him cultivate in 5 minutes? Yeah who was he kidding? He was definitely taking this cool snake, the snake that both told him he was a wizard and taught him how to apparate in their very first conversation, up on that offer.
"One condition."
"Name it Massster Harry!!"
"Never forget that for You, it's always just Harry."
To this the snake nodded before quickly biting "Just Harry" on the wrist. An explosion of bright blue light surrounded the two briefly before dissipating.
"It issss done Harry. The bond isss confirming what i thought earlier though, there isss a sssicknesss in your magic. It'sss not threatening your life right now though fortunately. We need to get to the wizard bank Gringottsss and allow the Goblins to help you. Alssso I'm detecting vibrationsss that make me think a baby elephant isss heading thisss way."
"Damn. It's surely my uncle. Look, what should i call you? You have a name?"
"No Harry, no name. You pick."
"Well you're a girl right?"
"Yes Harry."
"Well how about..." Harry started while glancing around looking for inspiration, eyes landing on the habitat plaque, "Hannah. How does that sound?"
"I like it Harry."
"Look Hannah, the problem is i can't guarantee your safety inside of my house until I learn more magic but i can't afford to live elsewhere right now that would be safe either. So what can should we do. Either way it'll be rough going for a bit. Not impossible, but tough." Harry finished this sentence quickly as he heard the door to the snake pit slam open. Hannah having slithered out of sight under his shirt hissed quietly in his ear as his uncle finally saw him.
"When we get back to your den provoke your uncle Harry. But not before. I will sssurprissse him and ssscare him into leaving you alone. All we need isss to hold out until tomorrow anyway. You'll ssseee Harry. Trussst me!!"
And Harry did trust her. Was even looking forward to it. Feelings very quickly justified...
"Boy!!" His uncle growled at him as he walked up, already pointing Harry towards the direction of the car. "What was all of that freakish light coming through the door all the way to the far side of the other next exhibit over?! We said no freakishness in public! You will pay for this at home boy!! Mark my words!!"
Two hours later a grinning Harry lay in his cupboard. After they had all returned from the zoo his uncle was about to throttle him right there in the living room over the "freakish light incident." Two steps towards Harry had yielded a growling, even Harry wasn't ready for the sound that first time, warning hiss that instantly stopped the man in his tracks. While his uncle was frozen with fear staring at the hooded snake with eyes to match his freak nephew; Harry explained that yes, the snake was his. And after demonstrating that he could talk to it and that it was also smart enough to take orders, that no he wouldn't be taking any more crap from the man. Do the intimidating indeed!! Uncle Vernon had nearly peed himself, but did seem slightly mollified when Hannah had Harry tell him this was his last night there anyway. Not that he said it to make Vernon feel better, but it was just easier for all parties involved if his relatives didn't need antivenin his last night on the premises. It was this last thought that had Harry smiling as dreams of entering a magical world the next day beckoned on the horizon.