Q: Are Nagini's eggs Harry's too?
A: No, they are not. I'm not really sure where Nagini found another King Cobra or equally large snake to mate with in a remote forest somewhere in the UK, but she managed it.
Chapter 2: Fuzzy Haired Bookworms
Age 14 Monday May 20, 1995
Harry was currently in the infirmary, being checked over by the mediwitch. (Or at least that was what Nagini said she was doing with all the sparks and wand waving.) He fiddled with the sleeve of the black robe he had been given, and squirmed a bit. Clothing was strange, and he wasn't sure he liked it much.
After leaving behind Nagini's eggs, (which even though they were not technically his, he still cared for each of them greatly.) he had refused to allow Nagini or Blanche out of his sight, even on the Headmaster's insistence that they stay outside of the castle, if only for the safety of the students that were still there for the next four weeks or so. Nagini was slowly reviving her dormant ability to understand spoken english, and was able to translate to Harry most of what was said around him. He in turn was able to reply with simple nods or shakes of his head.
Most of the staff had reacted rather violently to Harry's appearance, especially those who were old enough to remember a certain Tom Riddle before his downfall. (Nagini and Blanche definitely didn't help things.) Dumbledore reassured them that Harry's serpentine appearance was only the effect of being in animagus form for far to long, and that he was not in anyway related to Voldemort.
After the witch was done checking him over, he was ushered into a large bathroom and told to bathe himself. Pomfrey, as Harry found the mediwitch was called, handed him a bottle of purple gel and a bar of something white. He stared at them bewildered before glancing at Nagini.
"What in the world am I suppose to do with these?" Harry asked. He carefully popped the top off of the bottle and sniffed it, wrinkling his nose in disgust. Nagini snickered.
"First get into the tub, and then rub the purple gel in your hair." Harry looked at her like she was insane, but complied. He at least had enough common sense to remove the black robe first and carefully coil an exhausted Blanche on top of it.
Several minutes later, a very sudsy and rather amazed Harry Potter rinsed his hair out (which was not an easy feat, seeing as there was an enormous amount of the tangled black stuff) and took up the bar of white stuff which Nagini had referred to as 'soap'.
"Now what?"
"Rub that bar all over your body." More bubbles appeared, and Harry ended up having much more fun then one probably should taking a bath.
Finally, one entire bottle of shampoo and nearly all of one bar of soap, Harry was clean and rather pruney. Not having taken more then a dip in the occasional freezing stream since he was four, the sensation was rather strange for him. He climbed out of the tub, hair brushing the ground behind him, and dripped all over the floor. He rung his hair out over the tub before going to exit the bathroom.
Seeming to have forgotten that in the human world, clothing was mandatory, Nagini snagged him around the waist and stopped him before pointing at the discareded robe.
Harry sighed, lifting the sleeping white snake from the nest of black cloth and settling her about his shoulders again before sweeping the robe over his body once more, carefully latching the clasps like he had been shown.
Nagini followed after him as he left the room, four metres of thick sinewy cobra that seemed to rather unnerve everyone that saw her. Harry couldn't remember ever being scared of her, but he supposed that she did make a rather fearful sight.
"Harry, my boy. You look much better now." Nagini translated the headmaster's words to him, and he nodded noncommittally. Madam Pomfrey motioned him back over to a bed, and waved something that had bristles on it. He glanced at her suspiciously.
"What in the world is that thing?" He asked Nagini.
"It's a hair brush. Don't worry, it's not very dangerous." Harry shrugged and sat down on the bed, still getting use to being in human form again. He had found out rather quickly that somehow the Headmaster had managed to keep him in this shape when he had tried to change back. All he got was a shock of pain and a lecture on keeping his humanity intact.
He had thrown one hell of a fit.
A few seconds into the mediwitch's attack, 'not very dangerous' seemed to be thrown completely out the window. It hurt and it didn't help that there was around one and a half metres of the tangled stuff. Tears collected in his eyes, and he had to reign in the urge to bite the witch. Damn it, wasn't there magic for this sort of thing?
Of course, not being able to communicate with the general human population beyond nodding or shaking his head, he wasn't able to express his thoughts. And especially painful tug made him hiss in pain, and he tried to push the witch away from him.
"Now, now deary. Hold still." She wrenched him back down into his seat, and got a face full of angry cobra for touching him.
Eyes wide, she backed away slowly. Nagini reached out with the end of her tail and snagged the hairbrush out of her unresisting hand and nudged Harry around with one of her coils.
"Lovely, calm down. They won't leave you alone until this is finished. I'll be careful." Harry glared at her balefully, but turned to give her better access to his locks.
She was much more careful than Pomfrey had been, starting at the bottom to work out the kinks before working up higher. Harry had to wonder why a snake would know more about brushing hair than a female witch.
Or maybe she just doesn't care if she hurts you. Harry thought. After all, if the staff's reaction to his appearance had been any sign, none of them were too fond of him.
It took a good four hours to brush his hair out, and when it was done, it was so very long that it dragged on the floor behind him. He wished that it didn't have the strange habit of growing back every time they tried to cut it. It was like a living thing with a mind of it's own.
Harry had settled for having Pomfrey braid it tightly so that it was at least short enough that he could walk without it catching on things.
Dumbledore sat down across from him on a chair, his eyes twinkling. He was talking again, and all Harry managed to do was stare blankly at him, waiting for Nagini to translate.
"I couldn't really get that last bit, but I think he said something to the effect of a translation spell. I believe he finally caught on that you can't exactly understand him." Harry threw his hands up in the air.
"He finally got it, did he? I thought you said that Dumbledore was suppose to be at least semi-smart?"
"Hm, well I take that back. He might just be rather insane with a rather large lucky streak." Harry snickered, a rather disturbing sound coming from a human that only spoke Parsel.
He nodded at the Headmaster, gesturing for him to go ahead. He wanted to be able to understand what was going on around him. The wizard smiled and waved his wand around, before touching it to Harry's throat. A warm tingling diffused, leaving behind a slightly uncomfortable constricting feeling. Harry grumbled something, and started when it came out in the strange human tongue.
"Can you understand me?" Dumbledore asked him.
"Yess." Harry said, his voice still heavily accented.
"Good, good. Now, on to more pleasant matters. You will of course be staying here for the summer so that we can catch you up on your magical training. Then you will attend school here, starting September 1 this fall." Harry continued to stare at him blankly.
"Does he really think he can just barge into my life and tell me what to do?" Harry asked Nagini, switching back to his more familiar language.
"Of course, that's the way wizards are." Her liquid golden eyes sparkled with mirth.
"Why?" He asked simply. Dumbledore seemed at a loss for words.
"What do you mean, why? Don't you want to stay here, Harry?"
"Of coursse not. What lead you to believe I did in the firsst plassce?" He asked with what might be considered a rather incredulous tone. "I wass perfectly happy where I wass."
"Well, my boy," Harry was beginning to get extremely irritated with that reference to his person, "You are not a wild animal to be living in the wilderness. You can't possibly expect us to leave you there." Harry's serpentine eyes flashed with fury.
"Where were you when I wasss left to die at the age of four?" His 'S'es were drawn out more in his anger. "My 'Uncle' left me for dead in a foressst during the winter! Left me to freezzze to deattth, and the only one thhhere to sssave me wasss Nagini! Tom Riddlesss' familiar!" Harry gave Nagini a soft look to show he meant her no offence. Dumbledore's eyes dulled at this outburst. He knew he should have checked on the boy more often, but he had assumed that he would be safe with his family. And now, because of his carelessness, the boy looked like a fourteen-year-old version of Tom Riddle right before his downfall (minus the long hair) and had the same bitter jaded attitude.
How was he to deal with him? They needed him now more than ever, as Voldemort had returned and was more powerful than before. That had been the main reason he had upped the search for the Boy-Who-Lived.
Dumbledore glanced at the large black cobra that was rubbing Harry's back in soothing motions with her coils and whispering quietly to him in the snake's tongue. The old headmaster narrowed his eyes at her. He would have to figure out a way to get rid of that abomination, the Dark Lord's familiar was the last thing they needed around. Who knew what kind of dark magics he could work through her?
He was actually rather surprised Voldemort hadn't found them first, seeing as it was his familiar that had raised the boy.
Maybe some good influences. Dumbledore considered. He knew quite a few decent and wonderfully stubborn Gryffindor children Harry's age that would be enamored at the chance to help him with his newest project.
But first, that snake face would have to go.
"Harry, dear child, I am so very very sorry for the wrongs that have been done against you. If I had known, you would never have been left with your relatives." Harry looked rather disbelieving. The aged wizard had to stifle a cringe at the boys reptilian eyes. Yes, definitely had to go. "I think that some human company your age would do you a load of good." This sparked Harry's curiosity. The only other human his age he could ever even vaguely remember being around was his whale cousin which had been some ten years ago.
"That would be... Acsseptable." He replied.
"Wonderful! Classes should be out by now, I'll go see about that in a minute. Why don't we just fix your appearance up, hmm?" The serpentine boy eyed him suspiciously.
"What do you mean, 'fixss my appearancsse up?' What'ss wrong withh it?" The headmaster motioned to his face.
"Due to current... World affairs, the way you look now will cause some people to fear you and even wish to destroy you." Dumbledore didn't elaborate.
"What does he mean, due to current world affairs?" Harry asked Nagini.
"My last master, Tom, looked much like you do now. He also spent a great deal of time in serpent form. Many feared and hated him, and if from what I've gathered and heard rumored, he has returned."
"So they only want me back because I was the only one that was able to kill him last time?" Nagini had told Harry as much as she knew about Voldemort's downfall, including his involvement in it.
"Most likely."
"As much as I hate it here, it might be beneficial for me to stay and learn magic."
"Agreed." Harry absently rubbed Blanche who stirred around his throat, nuzzling him gently before returning to sleep.
"Fine. Be quick about it." Once again a few muttered words and a few flicks and swishes later, he was handed a small mirror. His eyes were no longer slitted, but had round human pupils, his nose was less flat and his face less triangular. He opened his mouth, afraid to see what was inside, but his fangs still snicked down into place. He smiled happily, not noticing Dumbledore's expression. "Thiss will do for now."
"Excellent. I'll just be right back." Purple robes swished behind the older wizard as he moved towards the door. "Oh, and Harry? Could Nagini go somewhere else for a bit? She might scare the children." Harry glanced at Nagini who was glaring at the headmaster again. She complied, however, and slid off the bed to go curl up underneath another at the far side of the infirmary.
Dumbledore was back within minutes, three children in tow. One girl and two boys.
"This is Hermione Granger," he gestured to the one with wide brown eyes, a heavy bag filled to bursting with books, and wild frizzy brown hair, "Ronald Weasley," now he motioned to the one with a shock of flaming red hair an more freckles than stars in the sky, "and Neville Longbottom." This one looked rather clammy, and his hands shook. "Miss Granger, and Misters Longbottom and Weasley, meet Harry Potter." Harry inclined his head towards the group.
"Wicked! Are you really?" The one with flaming hair, quickly sat down in a chair next to his bed. Harry gave him a strange look.
"Who elsse would I be?" Neville stuttered something unintelligible. "What wass that?" Harry asked him.
"W- Why do you talk l- l- like that?" Harry noticed the witch named Hermione studying him with sharp eyes.
"I wass raissed by sserpentss. Parsseltongue wass the only language I knew for ten yearss." Neville blanched and looked as though he were about to topple over. Hermione quickly shoved him down into a chair before taking a seat herself.
"Only He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named can speak to snakes." Hermione said. Ronald looked rather pale also, and was looking at the headmaster like he was mad. Dumbledore chose this time to intervene.
"It is my belief that when Voldemort attempted to kill Mr. Potter, resulting in his downfall thirteen years ago, some of his powers were transferred to him through his scar. His ability to talk to snakes does not make him evil." Harry refrained from snorting, and wondered if it was only him that heard the insincerity in the older wizard's voice during that last bit.
Hermione continued to stare at him thoughtfully, Neville looked rather pale still, and Ronald's face was turning a rather magnificent shade of puce.
"Your letting a bloody Parselmouth into the school that has some of You-Know-Who's powers? Are you insane? After the last bloody one killed my goddamn sister?" Harry winced.
"Language, Mr. Weasley." Dumbledore's eyes flashed. "It is not Mr. Potter's fault that Voldemort's diary killed your sister. You will refrain from blaming those who do not deserve your ire."
"Why do ssome of you not call him by hiss name?" Harry asked, trying to change the subject while making a mental note to find out just how Voldemort had returned later.
"Only those who do not fear him speak his name. It is silly, as fear of the name only increases fear of the thing itself." Harry nodded. Ronald was still fuming, staring sulkily at his feet.
"I am ssorry for the losss of your nesst mate, Ronald Weassley." Harry said quietly. He didn't need to make any unnecessary enemies until he knew more about this world. Ronald glanced up, still looking rather angry, but not at him anymore.
"I- It's not your fault, mate. I'm sorry I blew up, and- Ron's fine. 'Ronald' makes it sound like I'm in trouble." Harry was confused, as he had no idea how a name could make someone feel any differently, but didn't push it.
"Professor, what's going to happen to Harry?" Hermione asked.
"Harry will be starting school next year with his fellow fifth years. We are going to catch him up on as much of his schooling as possible before then." She nodded, and after a moment her eyes lit up.
"Could I help, Professor?" Dumbledore chuckled.
"I think that could be arranged, Miss Granger." Harry's stomach chose that time to let out a rather loud rumbled, and Ron grinned at him and Neville gave him a rather wane smile.
"That's the spirit, mate." Hermione rolled her eyes and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'boys.'
"Harry, are you up to eating with the rest of the school?" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. Harry, on the other hand, wasn't so sure that was a good idea. After all, he preferred his meals alive and struggling, and he wasn't so sure how well that would go down with the rest of the school.
"Ah, I thhink-"
"Wonderful! If you'll just follow me..."
The headmaster took off at a quick pace, and Harry sighed, resigning himself to just finding something later in the forest.
Neville and Ron stood up, beginning a lively chat with each other over something that was called 'Quit-itch' and Hermione dropped back, walking beside him. She was still studying him with a rather calculating gaze, and he was starting to get unnerved.
"What?" He finally snapped, sneering at her. He was having a rather bad day already, and was tired of humans and their strange behavior.
"You probably don't eat mash potatoes and meat pies, do you?" She asked, not seeming fazed by his harsh tone.
"No, I don't." He sighed. He should probably try to be nice to this one, as she seemed the most reasonable and least prejudiced of any human he had met so far.
Dinner was an absolute disaster. Having his hair pulled back in a braid left his scar very visible to the whole of the Hogwarts population. It didn't take long before whispers spread like fire from where he was seated, and people were standing up in their seats, craning their necks to get any sort of view of him. Dumbledore announced his presence, periwinkle eyes twinkling, and the noise in the Great Hall increased ten fold.
Harry's stomach spent the entire time being nauseated, and he had to forcefully restrain himself from vomiting. He tried a few bites of a semi-rare steak that wasn't to bad, but couldn't force anything else down. There seemed to be no plain water in sight, and the thick sickly orange pumpkin juice made him want to gag.
About halfway through, Blanche got tired of all of the attention directed at her 'brother' and decided, against Harry's warnings, to stop it herself if he wouldn't. The entire school was in an uproar, first years tumbling out of their seats and running out of the hall. Ron looked pale and scared, Neville fainted. Harry's head throbbed. He couldn't take anymore of this, and stood up, stalking out of the hall with Hermione fast on his heals.
Harry had absolutely no clue where he was going, just knowing he didn't want to be here.
"What is wrong, Harry?" Blanche hissed softly into his ear.
"Humans." The small white snake giggled, nuzzling his ear.
"Harry! Wait up!" Hermione shouted from down the hall.
"Yess?" He asked, pausing to let her catch up.
"I'm sorry about what happened in there." He eyed her thoughtfully.
"Do not apologizze for what iss not your fault." She nodded, allowing the subject to drop, sensing he didn't want to talk about it further.
"Where are you going?"
"To find ssomethhing to eat." He smiled rather wickedly at her, and she paled. "Sstill want to follow me?" She nodded, looking resolute, and followed him in silence.
"Who is your friend, Harry?" Red eyes appraised the fuzzy haired girl that walked beside him.
"Her name is Hermione." He hissed back, giving the aforementioned girl an amused glance when she started.
"What are you saying?" She asked curiously, not seeming very bother by the snake language.
"Sshe assked your name." Hermione gave the tiny albino cobra a tentative smile.
"My name is Hermione, and you are..."
"Blanche." Harry supplied.
"I am pleased to meet you, Blanche." Harry translated this to his 'sister'. The snake hissed back, pushing herself off of Harry's shoulder and slithering down his arm.
"Sshe ssayss the pleassure is herss. May sshe?" he lifted his arm and Hermione hesitantly put her own out, and gasped as the snake wound herself up and over the her shoulders. The brown haired witch ran a gentle finger over the cobra's white hood, and smiled when it pushed against her hand like a kitten.
"She's beautiful." She whispered. Harry smiled and they continued on their way, finally reaching an open window close enough to the ground that Harry could jump out, tugging his new found friend with him.
They walked briskly to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, as Harry wasn't really sure how long it would take Dumbledore to come after them, and he was really really hungry.
"Wait here." Hermione sat, resting against a rock at the edge of the forest. This would be so much easier if I could change, Harry thought rather annoyed. Even with that, it still only took him a few minutes of sitting still to catch a smallish rabbit, bite it, and returned, sitting down next to the girl.
"Blanche, come here. Are you hungry?" Blanch quickly slithered off of Hermione's shoulders, eagerly settling in his lap, mouth open like a baby bird. Harry looked around, and grumbled, realizing he had absolutely no way to cut a chunk off the rabbit for Blanche.
"Do you have ssomething ssharp?" He asked the fuzzy haired witch, and she gave him a strange look, but took out her wand and transfigured a stone into a crude knife. "Thankss."
"No problem." He quickly sliced a rather large chuck out of it's flank and held it up for Blanche to eat. She snapped it up, working the morsel down her throat.
Harry wondered just how he was going to manage this in his human body, but shrugged and attempted to see if he could unhinge his jaw in this form too. He carefully opened his mouth as wide as he could, and with a sickening pop felt his jaw drop out of place. Hermione watched in morbid fascination as he lifted the rabbit to his mouth and swallowed it whole, something that no human should ever be able to do.
When he was done, he wiped the traces of blood that had spilled from the gash on it's thigh from his mouth, grabbed his jaw with his hands and snapped his mouth shut forcefully, pushing the thing back into place with an equally sickening sound.
He turned and gave Hermione a rather lazy smile, feeling sated and full. Even though he had eaten earlier today, it seemed like much longer and the day had been stressful. He lifted the small white cobra up and draped her body around his shoulders, before offering Hermione a hand up.
She gapped at the appendage, before seeming to wake up and grasped it rather weakly, allowing him to pull her up.
"Sstill want to get to know me?" He had to give her credit. She shook off the shock of what had just happened, nodding firmly at him.
"You can't scare me off that easily, Harry Potter."