In The Blood
Summary: Some magic is passed down through the bloodlines. You only need to discover it. Continuation of Denial
Rating: K
Characters: Harry P. + Lily L. P.

Harry and Lily Potter left the house early the morning of September second, 2017. The air was crisp but still warm enough that they didn't need anything more than a cloak to last them til the sun rose higher. Ginny watched them leave, standing in the door but moving no further. She'd let Harry handle this one, she thought with a faint shudder, since it was in his range of expertise.

She sighed from where she stood, leaving the door frame to head back inside. She hadn't wanted anything to do with snakes since her horrifying first year at Hogwarts, and she didn't want to be around when her husband got to talking with them. While the two of them were well out of earshot, she could still see them. Ginny would rather not see the snake they were going to practice with.

When the Potters had returned to their home the day before, Harry had promised that he'd see if his ability had been passed down or not. Lily had been excited at first, but as the day grew to a close, she started to feel anxious; all the comments about Slytherins that her cousins had told her making her fearful. Talking to snakes was supposed to be a Dark ability; it'd been what Voldemort was known for, other than his ruthlessness.

But if her father – the Boy-Who-Lived; the great Harry Potter – was able to speak Parseltongue, than it couldn't be that dark of an ability. It even seemed useful; it was a way for them to talk without anyone knowing what was said.

And what was so bad about snakes, anyway, Lily thought peevishly. They got all the bad reputation. How were they any worse than spiders, which can kill you with a bite just as well? Snakes just got the short end of the stick, in her opinion. The Dark wizards had always been associated with snakes; but maybe that was just because all the Dark Lords had come from Slytherin house...

Lily sighed, trailing close behind her father as they walked. Harry fidgeted with his hands, gloves rubbing together to make quiet scratching sounds.

"Okay, to start with..." Harry hummed under his breath, pushing away his fears, which he was willing to admit had grown far too much over the years. "Let's... see if we have one nearby..."

Little Lily looked up from her spot beside her father, eyeing him with mild disdain. "Can't you just summon one? Isn't there a spell?"

Her father blinked, then grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. It was a gesture he used often; mostly whenever Ginny yelled at him for his more stupid antics. "Ah, well... I hadn't thought of that..." he mumbled, looking away from Lily. She huffed, trying to imitate her Mum's disapproving face.

"Obviously," she muttered back, lips twisting against her control into a smile.

Harry clapped his hands, grinning widely at her. "Well, let's get to it," then, he pulled out his wand and pointed it towards the grass in front of them. They had managed to walk a fair distance from the house and now stood in the middle of the yard in an open area. Harry hoped that, if the snake ever decided to attack, this set up would give it the least amount of surprise. He had a broom, shrunken and in his pocket, if Lily needed the escape. Swallowing, he swished his wand and said, "Serpensortia."

A snake burst from the end of his Holly wand, landing in a heap a few feet away from them. It rose up, hissing madly, swaying as it stared at the two. Lily took a half-step back, if only because the nine year old had never been this close to a snake before. Never mind that she didn't know if this one, a dark grey, almost black, four foot long one, was venomous or not. She liked to think that Harry would be able to fend it off if it wanted to attack her.

"Hello," Harry hissed experimentally, titling his head to get both his daughter and the viper in his sight. His face stayed blank as he stared down at the snake, who was still swaying, as if it couldn't decide if it wanted to strike or not. "You are not to harm Lily," he ordered, just in case.

The viper turned to stare at him, visibly wilting under his glare. "Yes, Master..." it – she – hissed quietly, head titled down in what Harry recognized as a submissive pose.

Lily looked frozen beside him, staring wide eyed at the viper and when he turned to look at her fully, she stepped closer to him, almost hiding in his robes. She knew he couldn't see it, but her lips were starting to curl upwards.

"Lily?" he whispered, uncertain if she was well, or understood any of that, or what. He reached down, carding a hand through her hair as he waited for her to respond.

The viper raised her head back up to watch them, tongue flicking out every once in a while to read the air. Harry ignored her for now, gently prodding Lily in the shoulder to get her to look up. She did, eyes wide, but not with fear. Harry smirked down at her, eyes dancing with equal excitement.

Lily's face split into a large grin. "I could understand you!" she whispered in awe. Harry chuckled at her, ruffling her hair. She didn't seem to notice.

"Is that so?" She nodded quickly, eyes snapping back to the viper. She gulped, face dimming again. Harry kept his arm around her shoulder, squeezing to reassure her. "Don't worry; she won't attack," he turned to the snake, raising an eyebrow, "Will you?"

The snake swayed in a way that looked like she was shaking her head, eyes trained on the girl. Harry led them forward, even though Lily was still a bit nervous, so that they could crouch in front of her. Harry reaching out, lightly brushing the viper's head, causing her to knock her head into his hand, making an odd hissing noise that might have been the snake equivalent of a purr.

Lily giggled.

"Why don't you say something to her, Lil?" Harry suggested softly, still petting the snake – what a weird action that was – and still speaking Parseltongue, though he barely noticed. Lily stared at him, wide eyed again, and he didn't know if it was because of the suggestion or because of the language.

"Oh-okay," she stuttered, brown eyes snapping back to the serpent, who was looking between the two humans now. The viper tilted her head towards Harry before Lily could think of anything to say.

"She is your hatchling?" she hissed, tongue tasting... something. Probably their scents, Harry mused, since they would be similar enough to warrant the question. He bowed his head as an affirmative, but was cut off from saying anything when Lily spoke.

"What's your name?" her voice was rushed, and she looked at her father to see if she'd managed it or not. She couldn't tell; it all just sounded the same as English. Harry nodded, smiled blooming. It was still weird to hear another human speaking Parseltongue, since the only other one Harry remembered was Voldemort. But he hid that away, letting his girl shine.

The viper, for some reason, looked surprised. Harry couldn't tell, personally, if it was because Lily was a Speaker, as he'd been termed in the past, or if it was because she'd asked at all. "My name is Thesa, hatchling Lily," she said, bobbing her head in a bow. Lily grinned.

The two talked for a few more minutes, Harry blissfully forgotten in the background, before a call from the house reminded them of the time. They'd left that morning rather early, on Lily's insistence, with only a little bit of something to eat beforehand. Now, it was nearing ten o'clock, and, at the mention of food, Lily's stomach rumbled. The girl blushed, arms wrapping around herself as she chuckled weakly.

Harry shook his head at her, grinning, and raised his wand again, preparing to banish the snake when Lily jumped up. "Don't!"

Harry blinked at her, but obediently tucked away the instrument. "Why not?"

Lily chewed her lip, eyes darting between Thesa and him. Pulling up her best puppy-eyes that won everything, hands down, she pleaded, "Can't we keep her? I mean, we knew her so well and–"

Harry smiled and rolled his eyes. "Of course we can. Anyway, you need a familiar. Thesa would be perfect for that."

Lily whooped, jumping over to the viper, who obediently slithered up her arm to rest on Lily's shoulders. The snake, while hesitant at first, seemed to lose that shy nature, and was talking adamantly to the girl as the three of them made their way back to the house. Harry joined the conversation after a particularly interesting point, stating his own opinion of snake assisted Parselmagic. If Thesa was this knowledgeable about the subject, it was a good thing that they were keeping her around. He knew Lily would love to learn everything she could from the snake.

When they reached the kitchen proper, Ginny nearly died at the sight of the three of them hissing excitedly at each other. Harry didn't have the heart to stop.