Chapter Five: Unexpected ASP

Two stressful situations had taken the most out of Penny, who insisted she'd rather sit near the picnic tables rather than continue through the zoo. Preston was also bored with the days events, more keen to message with his friends than walk around. Camille decided to stay with them as the others carried on, with Margie, fully recovered from her stint, leading the way.

Obviously forgetting his mother's plea, James set again on deciding the right time for Al to sneak the ear onto Margie. "It's got to be interesting Al," He muttered, passing on the anteater exhibit, " I mean, what noise do they make?"

Unfortunately, that question applied to a great deal of the animals they passed. Zebras, Antelopes, and groundhogs were hardly worthy creatures. But finally, he saw a perfect opportunity.

Eagerly he nudged Albus and turned to Margie, saying sweetly, "Oh Margie, we almost forgot about the turtles! You wanted to see them didn't ya?"

Margie's beady eyes darted towards the Reptile House, snidely eyeing James, answered, "Yes, I think we will be seeing the turtle next," And tugged her father towards the building.

"There's bullfrogs in there," James breathed so softly that only Al could hear, "It's perfect... imagine."

Unfortunately, James would be kept imagining as Ginny recognized too much elation in Margie's enthusiasm. She grabbed James by the shoulder and rotated him back in the direction of the groundhogs where Lily still stood, "I don't think Margie needs any more trouble from you."

James protested but Harry and Dudley were already ushering Albus and Margie up the path. Without James to execute his prank, Albus was torn between following through with his brother's plans and leaving Margie at peace. The trick would be harmless enough, but Al couldn't derive the same joy without James around to witness it.

The bullfrog tank was right inside, the fat creatures croaking deeply as Margie tapped loudly on their enclosure, her bracelets bouncing on the glass. All Al would have to do is nudge his hand close to hers and let the magical item latch itself between them. He inched nearer but she suddenly shrieked, pulling Albus by his collar, "Come, the turtles are over there!"

Oh well, thought Al as he struggled in her grip, the moment had passed and Margie had apparently earned a peaceful afternoon.

Margie pressed herself against the glass of the enclosure and started to make horribly cute faces at the large tortoises. Albus took this time to wrench himself from her chubby hands. Rubbing his neck, he imagined being a turtle, happily chewing on whatever turtles eat, only to look up at a face like his cousin's. He decided he would probably hide in his shell.

"Oh Al wake them up! They are moving so s-l-o-w-l-y," Margie drew her last comment out and mimed the movements of the languid inhabitants, "Gosh are they boring, ooh!" she slapped Albus on the back and pointed to another cage, "That one's moving!"

The that that Margie had spotted happened to be a thick three- or four-foot long python, wrapping its way along a branch "Ooh Al it's so long. Hey, hey snake! Look over here would you," she banged on the glass, prompting the snake to slither closer to her pink fists, and then right in front of Albus.

For a few seconds, the boy and the snake simply regarded each other. Albus felt a little uneasy and traced his finger in a loop on the glass, watching the python follow his movements, "Hey there," he breathed and the snake flicked his tongue as if to greet him in return, "Must be boring in there all day, watching people watching you," drawing his hand in a zigzag fashion. He could almost hear the serpent whisper "Tell me about it," bobbing his head to Albus' tracings. Margie found this trick to be of some interest, "Oh get out of the way Al," toppling over the slighter boy, "It's my turn." Smacking her fingers to the glass, Margie continued Albus' pattern, however, the snake had seemed to lose interest and was peering down on Al, with what seemed to be a concerned expression (as far as snake's expressions can go).

Al picked himself up from the floor, tired and annoyed and shook his head slightly. He noticed his dad and uncle standing a few feet away, a shared curiosity contorted each face. He was pondering what emotions were wound up in those expressions when a sudden boom nearly brought him to the floor again. Margie, being the spoiled brat she was, was used to people obeying her and had slammed her fist on the python's exhibit in frustration to its incompliance to give her much notice. Clearly any lessons from the butterfly garden had been frustratingly forgotten.

"Stupid thing can't even do any tricks," she banged her pudgy hands once more, attracting the disapproving stares of other visitors. Al stepped beside her and drew a line across the glass, to which the snake instantly followed, "You can't make all that noise like that see?" Margie nudged him away once more and extended Albus' invisible line, but the python continued towards Albus, almost pleading, "Take this girl away, oh please I want to nap now." Wait. The snake had pleaded, and Al had heard it, "Are you talking to me?" He jolted as the serpent slowly bobbed his head.

"What are you doing?" Margie squinted her eyes at Al.

"It's talking to me can't you hear it?" Albus stared wide-eyed at the python, "Here just whisper something to it…"

"No, no, no. No freakish whispering to snakes, son," Dudley swiftly appeared at Al's side and steered him and Margie towards the entrance, "It's high time we left don't you think?"

"Oh yes let's do go," jealously was rearing again in Margie's voice, clearly hurt by the attention the python had given to someone other than herself. But Albus was still absorbing his small conversation, and didn't really want to leave until he was sure his sanity was still intact. Yet between his uncle and Margie already tugging him halfway to the doors, it seemed as though Al would not be certain.

Then from somewhere behind him, the shrill scream of some distressed visitor rang out. Albus was whisked around at Dudley's frantic turn and just caught a glimpse of the python slithering through the glass as if it was merely a wall of water. Others had noticed the phenomenon as well and turmoil erupted through the room. Visitors were backing against walls and scooping their crying children high above their heads, ducking and pacing, trying to find a suitable hiding spot. And still the snake continued to slide across the floor, impassive to the commotion around him.

He halted a few steps from Al, "It wass nice to meet a ssoul like you kid," melting the disbelief from the boy's mind.

"Bye," Albus barely dared to breathe back as the python pivoted back to his enclosure. A slight flick of his tail showed he had heard. As he found the Dursley's behind him, the shock paralyzing them deathly still, he noticed his Dad had vanished.

Darting around the room, Harry was aware that the other visitors were gaining their wits back and beginning to register the quite unusual happening they had just witnessed. As the python silently slipped into its home, he brandished his wand and cast a few obliviate spells unto huddles of the unfortunate guests.

As he returned to his son and cousin, Al was surprised to see that the emotionless mask had returned, nothing like the reassurance he'd shown Lily just hours before. Without a word edgewise to Al, he ushered the stunned Dudley and Margie to the doors and only looked back once to see a perfectly normal snake sleeping peacefully on its branch. A woman nearby crawled out from under a table with the most confused expression on why she'd been under there in the first place.

At around four o'clock, a very silent carload of people was making its way home from the zoo. Only James had gotten the nerve to speak up every once and awhile to bother Albus on just how he had managed to quiet the enormous chatterbox-more-formally-known-as-his-cousin into an almost catatonic trance but had grown tired of his brother's equally heavy stillness.

Dudley had only mumbled a few words to his wife before leaving the zoo and the couple was stonily ignoring Ginny and Harry, who doubted they would be invited to visit next year. But mending the broken relationship he shared with Dudley was not the most pressing subject on Harry's mind at the moment.

Through the side mirror of the car, Harry looked at the face of his youngest son. He could see so much of himself reflected through him. Albus was the only child to inherit his green eyes, and his small stature and slim face only accentuated the resemblance. And now his son would also spend his childhood with a similar talent. But Harry had long lost the ability to speak parseltongue, an ability only brought on by the presence of Voldemort's soul latched on to his own. But Albus' soul was wholly his, his talent not induced by dark magic.

"Don't worry Harry," Ginny whispered reassuringly into Harry's ear as she caught his nervous stare, "It'll all calm down once he's at Hogwarts and gets some control. Then we'll just have one more year before we miss those little magical moments completely."

Harry gave a convincing smile but winced inwardly at the mention of school. Would this all be over once Al was settled at Hogwarts- sorted? He gave a last glance from the mirror and saw Al staring directly at his reflection, confusion and something darker riddling his features.