A/N: So as you may suspect, I have fun writing these chapters. Really, when I do find reviews and therefore inspiration to make me write more, my life improves- as do my grades, my health, and my general determination. Therefore, I leave you with this thought-- you are reading the story of the future "pigeon lady of the park".

Disclaimer: JK Rowling does not equal pigeon lady. Pigeon Lady wrote story. Therefore (miserable moaning whining) Pigeon Lady does not own Harry Potter. Damm.

Chapter 7 Keep Your Mind On The Pasta

Ah, what a beautiful day. The sun was shining with not a cloud in the sky, the birds were twittering, the farm animals….

The farm animals?

Harry, honey, it's time to wake up, a sweet voice whispered. Snore, snore. Harry!

"What? What? Ha! Take that, Death Eaters!" Harry yelled sleepily, waving his wand. If the trees had been magical (which they weren't) they would have taken a step back from the boy sleeping in the hammock in the Dursleys backyard rather than face the wrath of a sleeping teenager.

He opened his eyes to see a cactus in front of him.

"Hold it, hold it." The world stopped. Or at least, it did in his mind. "Where'd the Death Eaters go? Where did that snake go? She's never not with me." He looked once again at the cactus.

"Where'd that cactus come from? I thought those were for desserts. Mm, food." A one track mind, he has.

Harry sat and thought for a moment, a very difficult task for a boy his age. Someone watching him during this time could have said the wheels were turning in his head constantly—if the wheels were rusty and had never been used. Finally, "Ah-hah!" after the cactus shot a few needles at him, a thought came.

"Girls are violent. The cactus is hurting me. Therefore, I am going to kill two birds with one stone and get rid of the cactus AND get my companion back.

He did some quick wand work, and her long thin body slapped back onto the grass.

Harry, your reflexes are great, but you should be careful who you curse. You could make an easy enemy that way, you realize. I may not mind being a cactus (because it was only a few minutes) but someone else might. You might transfigure someone less caring than me. And since when were you so good at h-transfiguration?

"I guess I must take after my dad. If you hadn't crept up on me…" he began to argue.

I'm a snake. What do you expect me to do, get up on two feet and shake you gently awake? That would be worse for me, I can probably tell you now.

Harry yawned and looked at the sun. "Now that you've managed to wake me up out of my afternoon nap, could you be bothered to help me with my charms homework? I might be good at transfiguration, but you lived at with Ginny in a wizarding house and you probably know a lot more about the theory than me." He did not for a moment think it to be weird he was asking for help from a snake with magic. It was a snake, it was magic, therefore it could do anything. Done and done. At least in Harry's mind it was.

In Harry's room, the snake slithered up to the floor of the bed. Harry touched his fingertips to the floor, and she circled up his arm and around his neck, to be able to look over his shoulder. It was a weird feeling, but he didn't mind. How many other people could say they were best friends with their snake?

I am never going to live this up if Ginny hears about this. A snake helping me with my homework. I might as well sign up for that special school for people like Longbottom already, he thought.

Harry, a mouse for your thoughts. She noticed everything.

Thinking of the snake presenting him with a mouse, he shuddered.

"How about you keep the mouse and I'll tell you what's on my mind?" The snake bobbed her small head up and down.

"Well, I was just wondering about how you know about magic. I mean, obviously you do. And I assume Ginny taught you, because she's an amazing teacher. She's the only reason I scraped by in Potions class, and she's brilliant at everything. Did she teach you?" He could have sworn her scales turned red for a moment while he complimented Ginny. But maybe it was just the sunset.

"Sunset? Maybe that's why I feel so different. I'm hungry!" He gave her his arm, and walked down the stairs toward the kitchen.

What strange feeling? When did you start thinking about it? She asked of him.

"I was thinking about how Ginny would be laughing about me, and bouncing her fiery red curls, and her chocolate eyes, and my stomach did a little flippity thing, and then I was trying to figure out why when I realized that chocolate means food and I'm hungry. So here we are."

He set her down gently and took out a metal pot. He filled it with water from the tap and set it on the stove. He turned the dial and put in some twisty pasta.

"Mm… my favorite. Also the only food left in the house." He slapped his hand on his forehead, making an echoing sound. "Shoot. We've been here alone for a week and it's already all gone. How awful! We're going to have to go to the muggle supermarket and I don't even know where it is! And I want more food."

The snake just sat and watched as he paced the room, muttering to himself, becoming more and more out of tune with the world.

Harry! The pasta!