Chapter Forty-seven

"Severus," Harry said quickly, standing up as Snape entered his chambers later that day. Harry, puzzled, stared at the boy with dark curly hair that Snape was supporting into the room. "Who's that?"

"Nathaniel Jacobs at your service, Mister Potter," Nathaniel answered in a serious voice as Snape helped him on the couch."Didja miss me any? And by the way, if you can't really see much of a resemblance, I'm Slyther. Your snake. Although, not a snake at the moment; human!"

"I really didn't notice," Harry said sarcastically. "So it's true. You really are an animagus?"

Nathaniel ran his fingers through his hair. "Seems like. You know, I'm starting to remember a lot now that I'm human again." He looked up at Snape. "Before we get into this though, I need to tell you that Quirrel's dead. Aureus killed him, down in the basement. Somehow Aureus's "Lord"s soul is inhabiting a muggle body," Nathaniel explained. "Before you guys came, he sorta left. I have no clue where he's gone... but I do know that he can't stay in that body very long. The muggles' soul will eventually fade away, leaving only the "lord"s soul... but eventually even his soul will fade away too."

Nathaniel looked at Harry—who just sat down again—proudly. "Did you just hear me? I used the word 'muggle' twice! And did you hear how smart I sounded? Full of information... Ahh if only I could always be like this. Hey, do you know how I could possibly, by any chance, turn back into a snake?"

"I..." Harry was at a loss for words. This definitely was Slyther. Just not... Slyther. "Well," Harry started uncomfortably. "Why don't you concentrate really hard on turning back into a snake?"

Nathaniel looked bewildered. "Perfect. Why hadn't I thought of that earlier? You know, I tried turning back into a snake when I was with Aureus and Quirrel, but I couldn't at all. If I was a snake then, I had the whole advantage of being small and the snakey-quickness... and being able to bite. I actually tried to bite Aureus in this human form... but it didn't work out all too well." Nathaniel shuddered, deciding to change the subject. "Righty-O. Okay. Concentrate. Concentrating..."

Squeezing his eyes shut tightly, it almost looked as if Nathaniel was in some sort of excruciating pain, until the human form soon shrunk back into the form of a snake.

Wow, came Slyther's voice. How weird was that?

"Very," Harry said in a rather confused voice. He picked Slyther up and looked at Snape, who sat himself down in the armchair. "So... Severus, whats happening? With Aureus I mean?"

"Well," Snape started, "she'll probably be sentenced to life in Azkaban. You really needn't worry about her any longer Harry."

"No," Harry said quietly. "All I have to worry about now is—" He cast Severus a hesitant look, almost forgetting that Severus didn't like Harry using Voldemort's name "—the Dark Lord now."

Ahh, no, not now, Slyther interrupted. No, first you'll throw a party to celebrate my return; then of course you'll teach me how to walk in my human form... Oh, and you're also going to teach me how to read.

Harry looked down at Slyther. "I am?"

Yes you are, came the reply. Mister Snapey can help too if he feels left out. Aw, come on it'll be fun.. frustrating yes, but fun! You need some fun. So what do you say?

"Well sure," Harry agreed with a nod. "When?"

Now of course! Slyther answered. Just... take those clothes and put me in your room with them. Close the door on your way out. Last time I changed back... I seemed to be all skin and no clothes. I found it very embarrassing. Oh and Snapey—what do you say, help an old friend out?

"I think not," Snape replied curtly. "I remain absolutely out of this."

-

"Right then, which first?" Nathaniel asked as Harry helped him out of the bedroom. "I think maybe definitely the walking, don't you?"

"Yeah, you weigh a ton," Harry commented as he sat down on the couch.

"Well sorry." Nathaniel, who's hand was firmly on the armrest, slowly let go and took one wobbly step forward. "Look, I did it! I can walk! Amazing. Thanks Harry."

Harry frowned. "For what? You took one step. That's not walking."

Nathaniel turned his head around and returned the frown. "Sure it is!"

"It's not," Harry insisted. "It's... stepping. Once."

Sighing in defeat, Nathaniel took another awkward step forward... and then another—before he fell, of course.

"Are you okay?" Harry said with a slight smile as Nathaniel stood up, muttering under his breath about—what Harry thought—was vegetables.

"Stupid human legs," Nathaniel muttered, dusting his pants off. "I'd rather have vegetables for legs than these things. Carrots! Celery, even!" he turned around at Harry's voice. "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied. "Stupid legs."

"Try again," Harry encouraged. "Just, not so fast. Try going slower."

"I'm not a turtle," Nathaniel pointed out, standing straight. "But... I'll try. To go slow I mean; not the being-a-turtle. So—right foot forward... left foot forward—"

"That's it," Harry said with a smile. "Your doing good."

Nathaniel let out a small laugh. "Look at—" He fell again, almost five inches from the bedroom doorway, making a sound between an "Oomph" and "Ah" as he went down.

Harry cringed. "You did good... until you fell."

"I got that," Nathaniel said, rubbing his back as he stood up again. "I'm learning though!" He added cheerfully. "Slowly."

-

After a half hour of teaching Nathaniel how to walk, Harry felt accomplished enough to move onto the next thing Nathaniel wanted to learn again. Nathaniel, feeling just as accomplished as Harry, didn't have that much trouble walking anymore; he was still a little wobbly on his legs, and fell sometimes too; just not as often as he used to.

Now Harry moved Nathaniel to his bedroom, where Harry took out a piece of parchment a quill and began to write down a word. Holding it up, he got Nathaniel to say what the word was.

Eyebrows raised, Nathaniel stared at the parchment in bewilderment. "Rike?"

Frowning, Harry glanced down at the parchment again. "Huh? That doesn't say rike. It's rice."

Nathaniel laughed. "There's no S in that word Harry. It's a C. Rike."

Harry shook his head. "No, you don't say the C like that, Sly—Nathaniel. You say it as an S. Rice."

Nathaniel continued to look confused. "Well wouldn't Cat be pronounced Sat then?"

Harry shook his head again. "No. Cat would be cat. It's just... sometimes it's like that. I don't know why."

"Hm. I should ask somebody who knows," Nathaniel decided. "You know what else Harry? I'm actually growing fond of this body! It's weird being human again. It's weird being Nathaniel again. There's just all these memories that I remember again that I forgot while being a snake." He looked at Harry, his head tilted. "Is this weird for you? That I'm not really Slyther the Garden Snake anymore?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "You're still pretty much the same human as you were a snake. Talkative. I'm getting used to you, Nathaniel, so I really don't mind."

Nathaniel's shoulders sagged in relief. "Well good to know! I didn't want it to be awkward."

Harry gave his head a shake. "It won't. So... can you tell me what you did while Aureus had you?"

Nathaniel paused. "Well... Uh, actually I yelled. A lot."

"That's it?" Harry raised his eyebrows. "She didn't hurt you?"

Looking thoughtful, Nathaniel shook his head. Then, taking the parchment and quill away from Harry, he wrote the word "NO" and showed it to Harry.

"She really didn't. She just snarled. Like an ugly dog. If she wasn't so... evil, she is sort of good-looking y'know"—Nathaniel shook his head, changing the subject—"Aureus just had me hostage in order to get you, Harry. When in the end it was all for nothing. I'm actually very pleased with how this all turned out, though. I'm safe, you're safe, Snape's safe. Quirrel's dead."

"Tell me about that," Harry said before Nathaniel could get another word in. "How did Aureus kill him? Why did she kill him?"

"It was all very dramatic," Nathaniel started seriously. "You see, it wasn't Aureus who killed him. It was I. I couldn't bear the thought of my best friend—you, if you hadn't clued in—getting kidnapped by Topaz Aureus. So, using all my strength that I had left from the brutal beatings she made me endure, I stood on my own two feet and crept down the stairs, only to find Quirrel awaiting me at the bottom with his stick-like... wand! That's it, yes. We had a duel—though I had to use a knife, since I don't have a wand—and in the end, I triumphed!" Nathaniel, with his hand balled in a fist, shot his arm up in the air in victory.

"Although," Nathaniel continued after putting his arm back down, "by the time I finished off Quirrel with my manly strength and agility, Aureus had already left the house in cowardice. Too afraid to face I."

Holding his chin up high, Nathaniel finished with, "No need to worry any longer, young Harry Potter...Snape," Nathaniel faltered here for a brief second as he had momentarily forgotten Harry's second surname, but quickly recovered and continued on in a very serious manner. "Quirrel was defeated by a brave soldier, a courageous knight that is I; Nathaniel Jacobs: Warrior and Hero."

Harry snorted through his laughter as Nathaniel's proud attitude deflated.

"This isn't a laughing matter, Harry! I am Nathaniel Jacobs: Warrior and Hero!" Nathaniel insisted, which caused Harry to erupt with more laughter.

"Just imagine I," Nathaniel continued, ignoring Harry's peals of laughter. "Clad in tights and a very manly white shirt, stained with the blood that has shed from the many of the different things I have slain and triumphed over."

"I rather think I'll pass on that, Jacobs," Snape's voice said from the doorway, causing Nathaniel to turn a bright shade of red. Harry's—who was also red in the face from laughing—laughter slowly subsided.

"It's lunch, is it?" Harry questioned Snape as he recovered. Standing up and casting another look at Nathaniel, Harry left with Snape to the Great Hall.

"What did I say that was so funny?" Nathaniel wondered out loud.

-

A/N: Ahh yes, so Nathaniel Jacobs: Warrior and Hero (clad in tights and a very manly white shirt) thanks thee fine readers for their reviews!