Saved By A Snake

And now, during a fateful zoo visit, the lives of a lonely boy and a lonely snake collide, creating a bond that will change everything.

Four years later, June 23, 1991

Despite the rough start with Dudley throwing a tantrum over his birthday presents, Harry Potter was having the best day he had had in a long time. Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, so the Dursleys had been forced to take Harry along with them for Dudley's birthday trip to the zoo. He had had a great time looking at all the animals, and managed to avoid Dudley and Piers hitting him. And as the Dursleys had wanted to avoid suspicion, they actually had fed him at the zoo's restaurant and though it was the cheapest meal they could find, to a starving Harry, it was heaven. And when Dudley had thrown a fit over his knickerbocker glory not having enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon had bought him another one and "graciously" allowed Harry to finish the first.

After lunch, they headed into the reptile house. The cool air felt nice after having been walking all morning in the warm sun. Dudley and Piers ran around whooping and hollering, and soon found the biggest snake there. It was a boa constrictor, at least ten feet long if not more, coiled up asleep next to its water trough.

"Make it move." Dudley whined to his father, pressing his face against the glass. Uncle Vernon obligingly tapped on the glass. Harry felt bad for the snake, but the tapping didn't seem to disturb its rest and and it snoozed on.

"Do it again." Dudley ordered and Uncle Vernon rapped on the glass with his knuckles, causing a loud sound that made Harry wince sympathetically, hoping the boa constrictor wasn't hurt. Still, the snake didn't move.

"This is boring." Dudley whined and moved on with Piers. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia followed them.

Harry moved closer to the tank, watching the snake worriedly. He could understand its pain, trapped in a glass tank with humans gawking at you and banging on the glass. It reminded him of his cupboard, but at least when the Dursleys had their days of ignoring his existence, he could visit the rest of the house. The boa constrictor didn't even have this.

Suddenly the boa constrictor lifted its head and turned to face him, surprisingly kind looking black eyes meeting Harry's own. It slowly raised his head so they were looking eye to eye.

And it winked.

Harry was shocked as snakes didn't normally have eyelids(as far as he knew), but also happy and excited that this awesome snake was communicating with him. He quickly looked around to make sure no one, especially the Dursleys, were watching, then smiled to the snake and winked back.

He could have sworn the boa constrictor's eyes lit up and could practically feel how happy it was to get some attention that wasn't rude people banging on the glass. It jerked its head towards Vernon and Dudley and gave him a look that said plainly, "I get that all the time."

"I know. I'm sorry. They're like that with everyone." Harry whispered, not realizing that what he thought was English was actually Parseltongue. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

The snake's eyes seemed to widen, then it seemed to get even happier than before as it moved as close to him as it could possibly get considering the glass. It shook its head when he asked if it was hurt.

Harry smiled, relieved, and wanting to talk to the snake more but not knowing what to say, glanced to the plaque on the tank for a conversation topic.

Boa Constrictor (Male)

Name: Hercules

Age: 4 Years

Can be found in: Brazil

(This specimen was bred in captivity)

Special Facts About Me: Yes, I have eyelids! I was born with them. While not much is known about the mutation that caused this, don't worry, I am a very healthy (and very big) snake!

Harry was definitely not going to ask about the eyelids, as that would be a very awkward conversation. But he was glad to know the name of his new friend. "So your name is Hercules?" Hercules nodded eagerly, then pointed his tail at Harry, clearly asking what his name was. Harry smiled. "I'm Harry. It's nice to meet you." Carefully, so he didn't make a sound, he placed his hand on the glass where Hercules was. Something was drawing him to touch or hold the snake even though the glass prevented it, but this was all he could do.

Hercules smiled, there was no other way to describe the expression, and placed his tail where Harry's hand was. In the boa constrictor's eyes Harry saw reflected the same loneliness and desire for friendship that he saw in his own when he looked in the mirror. His heart ached. He desperately wished he could help his snake friend and make it so Hercules didn't have to be trapped or alone any more.

At this thought, he felt something building up inside him and his heart raced. This always happened before he would do something freaky. He fought to tamp it down. If he let it out, he would get punished and hit, and worse, what if it harmed Hercules? What if he ended up shattering the glass or something equally dangerous?

Said snake was looking very worried now, clearly able to detect Harry's growing panic. He tried to calm down and managed a small smile. "I'm okay."

Hercules still looked worried and like he was about to try to ask if he was sure when Piers' loud, grating voice cut them both off.

"DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!"

Dudley came waddling towards them as fast as he could. "Out of the way, you." he said, punching Harry hard in the ribs. Caught by surprise, Harry fell to the hard concrete floor. Hurt and startled, he lost control and felt a wave of power burst out of him. One second, Dudley and Piers had their faces pressed up against Hercules's tank and the next, they leapt back with howls of horror, and for good reason. The glass on the tank had completely vanished.

Hercules immediately uncoiled and started slithering out. He turned towards Harry. "Are you okay?" a soft voice that sounded like a teenage boy asked. Harry gasped in shock and looked around. People were screaming and running and the only one near him now was Hercules.

Somehow, Hercules could talk. Harry knew the snake was intelligent, but how the bloody hell had no one else noticed that he could speak English?!

Harry wanted to ask, but all he could do was nod to the question, too in shock and worried about offending his friend for the words to come out.

Hercules started to come closer to him, clearly very worried, but then the zookeeper burst in. Hercules tensed and looked between the zookeeper and Harry.

"I'm okay. Go while you still have the chance!" Harry told him quickly in a whisper.

Hercules hesitated, but nodded when the zookeeper edged toward him. "I'll come find you as soon as it's safe." he told Harry, then bolted before Harry could even answer, managing to evade the zookeeper with an agility that was shocking for a snake his size. Slithering between the humans and making several jump back, though without making any moves to attack anyone, he shot out the door and disappeared.

...

Much to Harry's relief, he soon learned his snake friend had gotten away, though he kept a worried expression on his face, also feeling bad for the poor zookeeper, who looked like he was in shock.

"But the glass...Where did the glass go?" the poor guy kept asking.

The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia, who was very shaken, a cup of strong, sweet tea as he apologized over and over. Dudley and Piers, after gibbering for a bit, milked the story for all it was worth, Dudley saying that the snake had tried to bite his leg off, while Piers swore it had tried to squeeze him to death, even though Hercules hadn't been anywhere near them. The zoo director apologized even more and offered them any item in the gift shop for free to make up for the scare.

And then as they were about to head towards the gift shop, Piers calmed enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?"

Harry felt sick to his stomach as Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia glared at him. "Pet, take Dudley and Piers to the gift shop. I'll take the boy to the car and wait for you there." Uncle Vernon said, clearly angry but not showing the full extent of his rage where other people could hear. He grabbed Harry's wrist tightly in a bruising grip and pulled him out to the parking lot.

Filled with fear, Harry knew better than to struggle, knowing it would be even worse later if he did. He's going to kill me. he thought, barely keeping himself from trembling. As soon as we get home, where no one can see, he's going to kill me.

Uncle Vernon dragged Harry to the car, looking around. There were no other people in the parking lot. He gripped Harry even tighter now that there were no witnesses. His face turned purple. "You thought you'd set a snake on us, didn't you, boy? After everything we did for you, you tried to use your freakishness and hurt our Dudley." He grabbed Harry by the collar and slammed him against the car door. Harry hit his head, seeing stars.

"No! I swear, I don't know what happened!" Harry pleaded, terrified. "I wasn't trying to hurt anyone! And Hercules, he didn't..."

Uncle Vernon growled, his face purple as he glared at Harry, pure hate in his eyes. "I know you're lying, freak. For what you did, you're going to be lucky if I let you live." Harry shook his head frantically and Vernon grabbed him by the throat, slamming him against the car again as his grip tightened around his throat. Harry gasped for breath and struggled to get away, thinking he was about to die. He prayed to whatever god existed for someone, anyone, to come.

And then Uncle Vernon screamed in pain and dropped him, stumbling back. Harry fell, but something coiled around his waist, slowing his fall and steadying him as his feet hit the pavement. There was an angry hiss and the next thing he knew, there was a very angry, very large boa constrictor standing protectively between him and Uncle Vernon. His uncle's eyes were wide with fear and his leg was bleeding badly where Hercules had bitten him.

Hercules glared at Uncle Vernon, poised in a strike position. "One more move towards my amigo and it'll be your throat I'll rip out next."

Uncle Vernon knew better than to tangle with an angry snake. He ran, leaving Harry behind.

Hercules turned to Harry, his anger immediately turning to concern. "Harry, are you all right? Wait, what am I saying, of course you're not all right! How badly are you hurt? Can you walk?"

Harry nodded shakily, getting to his feet. "I'm all right. Thank you. You saved my life."

Hercules nodded. "Anytime." he said softly. "Now we need to get out of here before that foul human brings others. Please, come with me. I know you're not safe with those people, amigo. We can find a new home together."

Harry looked into his friend's kind eyes, tears nearly coming to his own. Hercules was the first to have ever noticed he was in trouble. The first being to care for him or want to help him. He nodded without hesitation, then thinking quickly, opened the car and grabbed Vernon's swiss army knife, some money and a map his uncle had left in the glove compartment, as well as Dudley's "car snacks," and some bottles of water from the cooler, shoving them into one of Aunt Petunia's cloth shopping bags. With that, he slammed the door shut on both the car and his former life, and snake and human ran across the parking lot and darted into a cluster of trees, fleeing the zoo together.

...

They ran and they ran and they ran, traveling through back alleys, wooded areas, and people's yards until they finally made it into a forest and still continued to run, hearts pounding, terrified at any second that they'd hear footsteps coming after them, but somehow they didn't.

It was early evening by the time they decided it was safe to stop and find someplace to rest for the night. Looking for shelter, they found a small cave, just big enough for the two of them, close to a softly running stream. Relieved, they both drank from the stream and Harry filled his water bottles before they checked out the cave. Hercules detected no scents of predators and they headed inside, Harry sitting down and sighing with relief as he rested his tired muscles.

Hercules coiled up next to him. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just tired. Um, Hercules? Can...Can I ask you something?" Harry fidgeted his fingers, worried about offending his new friend.

"Of course. You can ask me anything you want."

"How'd-How'd you learn to speak English?"

"You mean your language? That's what it's called?" Hercules asked curiously before continuing. "I didn't. I'm not speaking your language. You're speaking mine."

Harry's eyes were wide. "I-I can speak to snakes?" he repeated. "I didn't know that was even possible..."

"It surprised me too. I mean, I heard Sir Hiss, the cobra in the tank next to mine, talking about humans that could speak to snakes, but he exaggerates and tells a lot of outright lies, so I wasn't sure how much of the story was actually true. Like the time he said he defeated a fifty foot mongoose in combat and..." Hercules stopped himself, looking embarrassed, though Harry was listening with rapt attention. "Anyway, he said humans that speak to snakes are called Speakers, or other humans called them Parsel-somethings. He didn't know the rest of the word, and I didn't hear the whole story because Carl called him an idiot and the two got into a huge argument, so..." Hercules stopped himself, looking sheepish. "Sorry, I'm babbling again. Anyway, that's all I really know. I wish I could tell you more, but we can always look into this more."

"Thanks, Hercules. And you don't have to apologize. You weren't babbling. And even if you were, I like talking to you."

Hercules coiled his tail lightly around Harry's waist. "I like talking to you too. I...haven't really had anyone to talk to for a long time." he admitted softly.

"It must have been lonely. I'm so sorry you had to go through something like that. But I'm here for you. And...I understand. I...I haven't really had anyone to talk to before you either." Harry admitted softly. "You...well, saw what my relatives were like, and I really didn't have any friends."

Hercules looked up at him, sympathy and understanding in those dark eyes. "You have me now." He moved closer and Harry smiled softly, holding out his arms for the snake, offering a comforting hug, but making sure Hercules knew he didn't have to if he didn't want to. Hercules seemed to light up at the offer of being held and immediately slithered into Harry's arms, but as Harry completed the hug and touched Hercules, his bare hand meeting soft leathery scales for the first time, there was a bright flash of golden light that illuminated the cave, nearly blinding them both. Harry felt a wave of raw power rush through them both, followed by waves of pure comfort and peace. A warm, gentle presence entered his mind, followed by a wave of emotions that he could instinctively tell weren't his own, confusion followed by happiness and comfort. He could tell they belonged to Hercules as the snake snuggled a bit closer, clearly feeling the same things that Harry was.

The flash slowly dissipated, and Harry, for the first time in a long time, felt truly happy and complete, like a puzzle piece he hadn't even known was missing had fallen into place as Hercules snuggled against his chest. Hercules too looked truly relaxed and happy, the snake's expression and posture telling it all, even if Harry hadn't had been able to feel his friend's emotions in his own head.

"What...What just happened?" Harry asked after a moment.

"I...I don't know." Hercules admitted. "I think we connected somehow. I can feel what you're feeling. Maybe like some sort of mental bond?"

"Did Sir Hiss mention anything like that?" Harry asked, a little worried.

Hercules shook his head, his expression thoughtful. "I don't think so. He was too busy bragging about all his accomplishments to really get into any details on the Speaker he actually spoke to. And while I don't know for sure, I don't think what just happened with us happened with him and that Speaker."

Harry looked down his lap. "I...might have done something freakish then." His hands shook a bit, the terror and fear of his "freakishness" took over, overtaking the peace and happiness he had felt from the first true connection he had with anyone. "I'm sorry, Hercules! I didn't mean to invade your mind! I...I never meant to hurt you like that...I'm so sorry..."

Hercules raised his head and Harry instinctively flinched and squeezed his eyes shut, expecting him to be angry for Harry's freakishness doing this to him. Harry knew the boa constrictor had every right to be. He had just seen how much of a freak Harry was, and he had just invaded the most sacred space anyone had, their mind.

But instead of the bite or strike Harry felt he deserved, there was a soft nuzzle against his upper arm. Coils gently wrapped around him in a tender hug. Instead of the anger and fear he expected, there was only concern and caring coming from the newly forged bond.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Harry. And I'm certainly not mad at you." Hercules said gently. "And please don't be afraid of me. I'm not them. I'll never hurt you." The snake nuzzled him softly.

Harry hugged Hercules back, nestling into the warm coils. "I'm sorry, Hercules... I...I just... Whenever I show my freakishness, my relatives...they...they would... And I know you're not like them...but whatever I did invaded your mind! And if you had been angry, I would have deserved it. I'm a freak, and even though I didn't mean to, I used my powers on you.."

Hercules shook his head violently and cuddled Harry closer in his coils. "No! You're not a freak, and those creatures that call themselves your family should have never hurt you. And... Harry, whatever the power was that caused this mental connection thing to happen, it came from me too. Like you, I don't know how I did it, but when that power came to me, I accepted it. I might have even initiated it." Hercules looked down. "I'd been alone for a long time; even in a crowded zoo, I always felt alone. I'd always wanted someone I could be close to. I...had a friend before when I was very young, but we couldn't stay together. When you and I met, I instantly felt a connection with you. I wanted to be friends, and to not have to leave you. I wanted to stay with you. I wanted it so much I might have made this happen myself."

"Maybe...maybe we both made it happen somehow. I wanted to stay with you and be best friends too." Harry told him, hugging him closer to show him that he meant it. Hercules instantly relaxed into the hug.

"Then we're okay." Hercules said, his voice relieved.

Harry nodded with a smile. "We're okay."

"And don't call yourself a freak again. You're not."

Harry fidgeted a bit and looked down. "I...I'm not exactly normal, Hercules. Sometimes, when I get angry or scared or want something bad enough, I end up making strange things happen."

"Like how you opened my cage without even touching the glass?" Hercules asked gently.

Harry nodded softly. "You looked so lonely and I wanted to do something to help you. I wanted it so much I felt this power building up inside me like it was going to explode. I tried to hold it back; I was worried if I did something freaky I'd get punished, or worse, shatter the glass or something and hurt you. Then...Dudley punched me and I fell and lost control of it, and it rushed out of me. The next thing I knew, the glass on your tank was completely gone.

Hercules's eyes were wide with awe. "Harry, that's incredible!"

Harry looked at him in shock. "You're not afraid of me? Or angry?"

"Of course not! Harry, you freed me! Why would I be angry or upset about that?"

"I lost control of the power; what if I accidentally hurt you?"

"But you DIDN'T hurt me." Hercules pointed out. "You saved me from that prison. Your power did exactly what you wanted it to. Why are you so afraid of it?" He then looked concerned, though not afraid of Harry. "Did something bad happen with your powers before?"

Harry thought about it for a moment, realizing that while his aunt and uncle had hurt him for using his powers that he never actually had hurt anyone before. "No, nothing really...bad. Mostly just strange. Once, my cousin and his friends were chasing me to beat me up, I somehow ended up on the school roof out of their reach. And when I was younger, the first time I ever used those powers, I ended up turning my teacher's hair blue. I got a good grade on my test and he was convinced I cheated. I swear I didn't, but he didn't believe me."

"I believe you."

"Thanks, Hercules. Anyway, I got really upset, and I felt the power building up like it did today and I didn't know how to stop it, so it just came out. The teacher was really mad and called my aunt and uncle...and...they punished me for being a freak." Harry shook a bit at the memory.

Hercules tensed with an angry hiss, and Harry, used to people lashing out at him when they were angry, instinctively flinched. The boa constrictor of course noticed and Harry felt a pang of worry and guilt coming through the snake's side of the bond before the snake calmed himself and nuzzled Harry's cheek. "It's okay, Harry. I'm angry at them, not you. They're the ones that were in the wrong to hurt you just for being different. There's nothing wrong with you."

"But humans aren't supposed to have powers like this."

"And snakes aren't supposed to have eyelids either, but here I am. Am I a freak?"

Harry shook his head violently. "No of course not! You're amazing! You just have something that makes you a little different from other snakes."

Hercules made an expression that Harry could tell was his version of a smile. "And the same thing goes for you. You're an amazing human who happens to have the ability to speak to snakes and do really cool things with your mind. Despite what those cruel humans told you, you have nothing to be ashamed of. Your powers are incredible. You just need to trust yourself and trust them. And you don't have to be afraid any more about others trying to hurt you for using them. If anyone does try, I'll rip out their throat myself."

It was a rather gory threat, but Harry immediately felt better. He hugged Hercules again. "Thanks." he said softly.

"Anytime."

Harry smiled at this, then yawned.

"Tired?" Hercules asked him.

"Yeah."

"Me too." Hercules adjusted so that Harry could lay down comfortably, then snuggled against him, the longing to be close to someone and held clear through the bond. Harry wrapped his arms around the snake and closed his eyes. The two quickly drifted off to sleep, dreaming of lush green forests and adventures together.

...

And that's the end of the chapter and the beginning of Harry and Hercules's journey to find a place where they belong.

This is the point where the magical rules diverge from canon. Familiar bonds are a thing here, and act similarly to Eragon and Saphira's bond in the Inheritance Cycle, with both partners able to feel each other's emotions, and in time, be able to project thoughts. While familiar bonds are more on the uncommon side, there are other wizards and witches (and even squibs and half giants) who either are or will be bonded with a familiar. Also, Parseltongue itself is slightly more common in this AU, with more besides the Slytherin family having it. Like in JK's notes, it's more common in Eastern countries, and still slightly feared by some people in Britain, though not as much as in canon. In fact, in a few careers, Parselmouths are highly sought after as things become much less dangerous with someone available that can speak to dangerous reptiles.

I hope you guys enjoyed and please review and let me know what you think!