Chapter 21: Assault

A brief bad encounter

The sun had long since set when Harry bid good-night to the last of the snakes. Some left while others stayed. There were little coils huddled amongst rock and branch and sand in the safety of the Emperor's Nest. On the long rock that grew warmest under the sun lay a snake thick as a hose with crusted orange scales and four eyes shut in sleep. Corn and the others of his clutch had grouped at the base of a nearby tree, their long shapes all woven together in a pile. Sahensha and Nagini were coiled around Harry as they usually were, creating a thick ring of blue and green coils. Indiis slept on Harry's chest.

Harry beckoned fire rise up from a small pile of sticks. It was difficult after a long day of making magic happen but summoning fire with his fingertips was almost second nature by now. The flames breathed soft yellow light into the deep night. It flickered and shone against little coils huddled amongst rock and branch and sand where snakes lay resting from a long day of hunting and eating.

A long blue snake with a yellow underbelly was sleepily arranging itself closer to the fire, drawn by the warmth. Harry smiled to see him wiggle. Before long the snake was still and slept.

But Harry could not sleep.

He looked up to the sky, where the great expanse of black lay barren of starlight. There was no moon tonight and there were no stars. It was pitch black, except for the small fire at his side.

Harry waved a hand and the fire lifted up off the sticks and came to float by him. He could not hold it long; without fuel it would soon disappear, but he could hold it a short while.

In that time he brought close the great antlers in his lap.

Sahensha had stared down a huge animal. It had soft brown fur and great curving horns growing up out of its head. Indiis had named it Deer and Nagini had named it Stag. Harry had thought it beautiful and strong, bold and fearless, even in the presence of a Basilisk. It had, of course, dropped dead after locking eyes with Sahensha. The great forked horns of its head had cracked at the base with its fall. Harry was able to detach them from the stag's skull before his friend began to eat.

There was something beautiful about these horns (Indiis had named them Antlers, but Harry liked to call them Horns). They were hard as rock yet curved smoothly, gracefully. They were both heavy and light to Harry's hand. He was fascinated at their points, sharp like fangs, yet sturdy like a tree trunk. He looked and looked at them under the light in his palm until it disappeared into smoke.

Something about them seemed familiar though he could not give the feeling a name. Even in the moonless night, Harry found it difficult to look away.

Harry continued to look at them even in the dark of the night when all the fire's smoke had curled up into the skies.

He went to sleep dreaming of their pale shapes.

Because his friend had eaten such a big meal Sahensha did not rise for another day and a half. In that time, Harry and Nagini explored the forest around their home. Harry found a robin's nest high in a tree and tossed down the eggs there for Nagini to snack on. He kept one for himself, tucking the small oval into his pocket. The sky was blue and full of white clouds, and birdsong filled the air. Together they walked and slithered beside a stream. They watched the fish leap from the water and saw toads bellow and catch flies.

Harry looked at Nagini all the while. He admired her scales and her warm amber eyes. There was something nice about her. Some feeling, like when he had looked at the stag horns, but stronger. Something about her drew Harry. It had been there, always, ever since the night they met in the back of his relatives' garden. He wondered whether it was the color of her scales, or the way her eyes looked like fire caught in a stone. Perhaps it was because she often let him ride along her back. She was a good friend, and she never treated him like a fresh-hatched wriggler, new to the world and ignorant of all things. She was patient, and kind, and Harry felt good when he was near her.

How can an eight year old put all of those big feelings into words? Instead, Harry kept the thoughts inside, where they belonged, and didn't notice his friend's worried gaze upon him.

Nagini waited until the two of them were far from the Emperor's Nest before turning to Harry and asking what was wrong.

Harry laughed.

"Nothing is wrong, Nagini. You're imagining things."

"Then the fish fly and the flies swim. You lie," Nagini accused gently, "What troubles you, Harry Potter?"

Harry cast his gaze out over the river. His mouth fell open to speak and stopped on half a word. Nagini turned and caught sight of the jaws that closed over her neck.

Harry screamed.

The animal that had ripped a hole in his friend snapped its head in his direction. It gave a guttural growl and was upon him.

It happened in an instant—Harry didn't have time to think, or be afraid, or anything. Terror thrilled in his veins. He threw his arms up; at once, the creature was flung off of him and high into the air.

Space gave Harry a second to catch his breath, and to look upwards at their attacker. What he saw haunted him. This time his attacker was not human. This thing was an animal, Harry was sure of it. Its eyes were wild and huge, with a snapping jaw lined with long white teeth. Its legs and arms were thin and gangly and very hairy. There were wolf ears upon it but it was not in the shape of a wolf. A monstrous beast, caught between looking like a man and animal, clearly feral for all that it hissed and howled and spat while it hung uselessly in mid-air.

Harry realized that he was keeping it up in the air, and that the effort was beginning to make him tired. Some part of him knew he could not afford to be tired. Not until they were safe.

That, and it made great sense for this thing to go away and never come back.

He gathered up his strength and reared back and flung his arms with all his might, wishing with everything in him that the creature would go far, far away. The effort sent the hairy animal catapulting high over the treetops. Harry did not hear it land.

Adrenaline filled Harry. He felt on fire with it, unsure of what new magic was coursing through his body. He felt amazing! Like he could run on water or swim through the earth. He knew his hands were shaking like leaves in a strong storm but all he felt was excitement. There was such a big feeling bursting up through him, filling him up head to toe, and in that moment, Harry Potter felt like he could do anything.

A rattling brought him out of his thoughts.

Nagini lay in a pool of blood behind him, hissing and writhing, and missing a chunk of flesh from her body.

Harry cried out and fell to her side.

"NAGINI!"

The snake spat at him, unable to make words. Her whole body shook. Harry could tell she was in terrible agony. He found the hole the wolf-thing had made and rushed to gather all his breath, and blew.

Nagini's scales glowed and began to grow. Harry felt tears sting his eyes and held her to him, feeling his whole body shake with the effort. Nagini still hissed in pain. The awful sound stung Harry's heart and he blew and blew and blew, never stopping but to take in another breath.

The place where her flesh was missing grew gradually. She was twitching now, the energy all stolen out of her. Harry held her all the while, emerald eyes overflowing with tears. He did not stop himself from sobbing.

Nagini's breathing became normal in time. The long green python did not move but to keep drawing breath. Harry held her long after his tears were spent and her side became whole again. The clouds in the sky gave way to a beautiful blue-yellow dusk, and still they sat.

Harry ran his hand over her neck again and again.

The patch of scales that had grown back did not match the rest of her; they were golden.

There were many whispers when they returned to the Emperor's Nest. Sahensha rose at once and inspected the golden patch of the python's scales. Nagini endured his sniffing and searching. All other snakes came close with inquiring eyes and tongues.

"What happened, Emperor?" a short black snake asked. Another with brown and tan scales asked the same question, and another snake echoed that, until they all spoke.

Harry held his hand up for peace and told their story. All the while Sahensha's yellow eyes stared at the golden scales upon Nagini's neck. He could not look away from her. Harry finished his story and noticed Sahensha's stare. Nagini did not met his eyes but neither did she cower from him as all other snakes did.

The Basilisk shook his mane and dipped his nose, not to Harry, but to Nagini. At once there was a great wave of motion rippling through the snakes crowded close to copy Sahensha. Nagini held herself very tall now.

"You have protected the Emperor," Sahensha was saying as Harry took a seat in the grass, "You are worthy, Python."

"It is known," Nagini agreed, smug with herself. "It was I who first came to him. Perhaps you will not doubt me now."

Harry's hand touched her side. Nagini looked down and let herself be drawn into the Emperor's warm arms. She made a quiet noise of distress at being dragged but hushed as her coils were drawn over Harry's warm skin. He was burning beneath her, a little sun inside a flesh cage. All her pride evaporated and she dropped her chin to rest against Harry's chest.

"You are better than the Sun Rock, Harry Potter," Nagini mused sleepily. Harry's body heat brought her into a peaceful rest.

Harry Potter was holding his friend close. Nagini had been around since the beginning of his adventure. Other snakes had come and gone from the Emperor's Nest, just as they had come and gone from the Dursley's back garden. She and Indiis both were precious to him. They were more than his friends, they were his only family. He reached up and his fingertips found Indiis' slim red form coiled on his shoulders. His hands ran along Nagini's scales, green with brown diamonds, and now a patch of gold. Behind him Harry could hear Sahensha moving into his usual spot protecting Harry's head as he slept. The Basilisk's red feathery mane poked out over the crest of his blue and green coils.

All around were sounds of snakes going to sleep. Yet again, Harry could not sleep.

He remembered his fire from before, and how he had thrown the wolf-thing from Nagini. His magic had done both. He glanced around and saw the antlers from before resting at the foot of the Sun Rock and beckoned them come; they rose from the ground and floated to him through the quiet air.

He looked up to where the first star was shining overhead. It twinkled, a single jewel in the purple and blue tapestry of coming night.

Harry thought of his friends. He thought of the proud stag horns, strong and sturdy. He thought of Nagini's golden scales and Sahensha's blood red mane. He thought of Indiis' little tongue, and how often the small snake spoke to teach him.

He thought of all the times his friends had helped him. Today he had helped one of his friends. It had felt good, but he wanted to do better. Nagini had been very hurt. He cast his green-eyed gaze to the star burning bright overhead.

Gripping the antlers in his hands, Harry whispered his wish to the light in the night sky.

"I wish I could be strong to help protect my friends."

In the last hour of darkness, in the last minute before the sun would creep over the horizon, in the final second of the night, the single shining star twinkled once, and fell from the sky.

End Chapter