Harry opened his eyes. It was dark. No, dark was the wrong word. It was
pitch black, the sort of blackness that haunted you at night, chilling the
very bones in your body into icicles, and freezing your heart into spasms
of fear. And he was alone.
The tremors stopped before he was even conscious of them, but then returned. He wrapped his arms around himself in vain, trying to hold his body still, trying to be big and brave and trying not to be afraid of the dark.
There must be an exit somewhere. He squinted into the darkness, trying to control his breathing. There was. . .company. He wasn't sure what, but something was with him. He could feel it's presence as you feel an impending storm; not safe, and yet not offering harm. For the moment.
He took a hesitant step and retracted it more quickly than he would believe possible as he heard a hissing from beneath his foot. The one hiss was joined by many more, forming a cacophony. It sounded dangerous and intimidating, but conversely he didn't feel afraid.
"Why am I here?" he asked, but the words didn't come out. All that escaped his lips was a hiss. Angry, he tried to talk again.
"What do you want?"
Still only the sibilant sound of his hissing joined in with the snakes. They wouldn't stop, and he suddenly felt the urge to clap his hands over his ears. But he didn't. He concentrated. If he listened hard enough then he could hear the rise and fall of the sounds, making waves and patterns in the air. It sounded like they were repeating something.
"Help" he whispered, and there was silence, and he looked around. A slight grey light had appeared around the enclosure, and he could see all the small snakes. Their coils were rotting and grey, and their eyes dull with death. He didn't have to repress a shudder though; the corpses were not revolting. They just filled him with a great sadness.
"Help us" they whispered, and he tried to stretch out his hands to them, but they recoiled. He stepped forwards; but still they retreated into the furthest shadows, and he stepped back in turn as they returned. He soon found out what they wanted him to do as the light abruptly darkened, and a much louder, deeper, more venomous sound was heard. He looked up; could feel the oppressive size of it closing in on him. God, he needed the light.
"Come here, little snake boy" hissed the big snake. Harry moved forwards a step and his heart felt like it was being compressed, yet still the snake hissed platitudes at him, coaxing him on. As he got closer, the light grew brighter and he breathed a sigh of relief through tight lungs.
"Look!" hissed a tiny voice and he and the large snake froze.
"Don't look" she hissed, but Harry did. And as he looked, he could see a shadow of himself intermingled with the large snake. She was thickly coiled, crushing his shadow self and in turn growing, her coppery scales glinting and the light reflecting off the plasma on her teeth. Harry started and turned back.
"No!"
She darted off blocking his footsteps, and he halted, uncertainly. The little snakes had taken up a position at his feet; one was hissing at him. It was getting more and more simple to understand them by the second, and he could tell that the little snake was confirming his fears. . .
He had been bitten by the large snake. . .soul transfer. . .dying. . .but did it really matter?
"Yes" hissed his snake, curling around his ankle. The cool feel of scales on his skin jolted him back to earth. Of course he wanted to live. Of course he did. . .
"Go away" he snarled, surprising even himself with the anger in his tone. The snake reared forwards, fangs bared, but Harry threw out his hand.
"Go away!"
It moved forwards, eyes narrowed in anger.
"Oh no, little man. I will never go away. Not even for one who speaks the Snake Tongue. I will rule over you. I have waited so long. . .have been so hungry. . .master did not think to leave me a lasting supply of food, and so I have waited. . .and now I may have a body, it is granted to me. . ."
"No! I do not grant you, snake!"
There was a silence, a horribly oppressive silence. Harry wondered briefly why the hell they never addressed topical issues such as fighting an insane snake in your dreams in wizarding books. He would have to ask someone when he was back at Hogwarts.
And out of the silence, there was suddenly a whistling of body through the air and something came into hard contact with Harry's face, bruising his cheek. Gasping, he stumbled backwards, hissing an apology as he stepped on one of the small snakes.
"You see, all those that I have killed? Living off my young for all these years?"
Harry grimaced, realising that all these snakes had been killed by the larger one - their mother.
"You see them, you hear them. . .you are no more powerful than them. Mere human! Submit!"
Harry could see that she was trying to crush his spirit, but somehow it was holding on. Panic rose I his throat, not knowing what to do next, and he looked around frantically.
"Massster" hissed a little snake, the one wrapped around his ankle, and he paused.
"Yes?"
"You are powerful. Save yourself."
And slowly the company faded, and Harry was aware of the large snake moving towards him, and he didn't hesitate before stretching his other palm out, channelling all his fury and terror into just destroying this one being.
Sparks flew out of his open palm, and illuminated the snake for an instant, showing every detail of her golden coat and reddened fangs before the bright light faded to a natural glow and he opened his eyes again.
***************************************************
"Potter!"
Harry blinked.
"Hello"
Pomfrey tutted, and began fussing around him.
"I told you quite clearly that I didn't want to see you again!"
Harry blushed, but didn't say anything. He noticed Snape beside his bed looking as though he hadn't slept in days and felt a pang of guilt. Dumbledore was arriving; he could feel the powerful magic moving through the school towards him.
Swinging his legs out of bed, he stood up slightly shakily.
"Where do you think you're going?" demanded Severus.
"Bathroom, sir" mumbled Harry. He thought he was allowed. . .Snape nodded and he hobbled off, his feet aching from the burning they had recently received. Having relieved his full bladder, he hobbled back into the main infirmary. Snape looked at him sharply.
"What on earth happened to your feet?"
Harry looked down, and saw how red and swollen they actually were. And then he noticed something else at precisely the same moment as Snape.
"And when did you get that tattoo?"
Wrapped around his ankle, exactly where the snake of his dreams had been, was a small black band with a visible head, and the tapering of a tail.
"Fucking hell."
The tremors stopped before he was even conscious of them, but then returned. He wrapped his arms around himself in vain, trying to hold his body still, trying to be big and brave and trying not to be afraid of the dark.
There must be an exit somewhere. He squinted into the darkness, trying to control his breathing. There was. . .company. He wasn't sure what, but something was with him. He could feel it's presence as you feel an impending storm; not safe, and yet not offering harm. For the moment.
He took a hesitant step and retracted it more quickly than he would believe possible as he heard a hissing from beneath his foot. The one hiss was joined by many more, forming a cacophony. It sounded dangerous and intimidating, but conversely he didn't feel afraid.
"Why am I here?" he asked, but the words didn't come out. All that escaped his lips was a hiss. Angry, he tried to talk again.
"What do you want?"
Still only the sibilant sound of his hissing joined in with the snakes. They wouldn't stop, and he suddenly felt the urge to clap his hands over his ears. But he didn't. He concentrated. If he listened hard enough then he could hear the rise and fall of the sounds, making waves and patterns in the air. It sounded like they were repeating something.
"Help" he whispered, and there was silence, and he looked around. A slight grey light had appeared around the enclosure, and he could see all the small snakes. Their coils were rotting and grey, and their eyes dull with death. He didn't have to repress a shudder though; the corpses were not revolting. They just filled him with a great sadness.
"Help us" they whispered, and he tried to stretch out his hands to them, but they recoiled. He stepped forwards; but still they retreated into the furthest shadows, and he stepped back in turn as they returned. He soon found out what they wanted him to do as the light abruptly darkened, and a much louder, deeper, more venomous sound was heard. He looked up; could feel the oppressive size of it closing in on him. God, he needed the light.
"Come here, little snake boy" hissed the big snake. Harry moved forwards a step and his heart felt like it was being compressed, yet still the snake hissed platitudes at him, coaxing him on. As he got closer, the light grew brighter and he breathed a sigh of relief through tight lungs.
"Look!" hissed a tiny voice and he and the large snake froze.
"Don't look" she hissed, but Harry did. And as he looked, he could see a shadow of himself intermingled with the large snake. She was thickly coiled, crushing his shadow self and in turn growing, her coppery scales glinting and the light reflecting off the plasma on her teeth. Harry started and turned back.
"No!"
She darted off blocking his footsteps, and he halted, uncertainly. The little snakes had taken up a position at his feet; one was hissing at him. It was getting more and more simple to understand them by the second, and he could tell that the little snake was confirming his fears. . .
He had been bitten by the large snake. . .soul transfer. . .dying. . .but did it really matter?
"Yes" hissed his snake, curling around his ankle. The cool feel of scales on his skin jolted him back to earth. Of course he wanted to live. Of course he did. . .
"Go away" he snarled, surprising even himself with the anger in his tone. The snake reared forwards, fangs bared, but Harry threw out his hand.
"Go away!"
It moved forwards, eyes narrowed in anger.
"Oh no, little man. I will never go away. Not even for one who speaks the Snake Tongue. I will rule over you. I have waited so long. . .have been so hungry. . .master did not think to leave me a lasting supply of food, and so I have waited. . .and now I may have a body, it is granted to me. . ."
"No! I do not grant you, snake!"
There was a silence, a horribly oppressive silence. Harry wondered briefly why the hell they never addressed topical issues such as fighting an insane snake in your dreams in wizarding books. He would have to ask someone when he was back at Hogwarts.
And out of the silence, there was suddenly a whistling of body through the air and something came into hard contact with Harry's face, bruising his cheek. Gasping, he stumbled backwards, hissing an apology as he stepped on one of the small snakes.
"You see, all those that I have killed? Living off my young for all these years?"
Harry grimaced, realising that all these snakes had been killed by the larger one - their mother.
"You see them, you hear them. . .you are no more powerful than them. Mere human! Submit!"
Harry could see that she was trying to crush his spirit, but somehow it was holding on. Panic rose I his throat, not knowing what to do next, and he looked around frantically.
"Massster" hissed a little snake, the one wrapped around his ankle, and he paused.
"Yes?"
"You are powerful. Save yourself."
And slowly the company faded, and Harry was aware of the large snake moving towards him, and he didn't hesitate before stretching his other palm out, channelling all his fury and terror into just destroying this one being.
Sparks flew out of his open palm, and illuminated the snake for an instant, showing every detail of her golden coat and reddened fangs before the bright light faded to a natural glow and he opened his eyes again.
***************************************************
"Potter!"
Harry blinked.
"Hello"
Pomfrey tutted, and began fussing around him.
"I told you quite clearly that I didn't want to see you again!"
Harry blushed, but didn't say anything. He noticed Snape beside his bed looking as though he hadn't slept in days and felt a pang of guilt. Dumbledore was arriving; he could feel the powerful magic moving through the school towards him.
Swinging his legs out of bed, he stood up slightly shakily.
"Where do you think you're going?" demanded Severus.
"Bathroom, sir" mumbled Harry. He thought he was allowed. . .Snape nodded and he hobbled off, his feet aching from the burning they had recently received. Having relieved his full bladder, he hobbled back into the main infirmary. Snape looked at him sharply.
"What on earth happened to your feet?"
Harry looked down, and saw how red and swollen they actually were. And then he noticed something else at precisely the same moment as Snape.
"And when did you get that tattoo?"
Wrapped around his ankle, exactly where the snake of his dreams had been, was a small black band with a visible head, and the tapering of a tail.
"Fucking hell."
