OMG! I am so excited! I got my first review! :) and tonight I am going to see a pre-screening of Deathly Hallows! Life truly is great! So to celebrate I am posting another chapter today!

No I am still not JK Rowling! And the only thing I make off this story is the satisfaction that I get when I see reviews and story alerts and favorites! Thank you!

Chapter Thirteen

In the Coils of a Snake

Harry and Taylor were almost to the gate. The man they had seen earlier was standing beside a headstone not far away, his gray head was bowed, but he looked up as they drew nearer on their way to the gate.

Taylor had an idea, so she said to Harry, "Just a sec." and started to walk towards the grey haired man.

"Taylor, wait!" Harry hissed but she didn't listen.

"Hi," Taylor said. "It sure is a beautiful day. Could you tell us if there is a place to buy some food near by?" She smiled when she stopped a few feet from the grey haired man. She could tell he was a muggle by the way he was dressed, in old worn pants and a worn button shirt, very much like Uncle Herbert used to wear. Not a good comparison she thought to herself.

The gray haired man looked at her curiously for a moment then said, "Rodic's Hollow is just down the lane about a kilometer and a half, there's a corner market there but not much else. Where ya'all from anyway?"

Taylor said without missing a beat, "Oh, I'm from Canada, I met Harry here on the Internet and we've been doing an eco-tour of Europe. We have been walking for what seems days and my feet are killing me ya' know?" and she cocked her head sideways and gave the gray haired man a big smile.

Harry groaned to himself. What kind of mess was Taylor getting them into anyway? What did she think she was doing talking to this stranger. These were dangerous times and you had to be very careful who you talked to!

"Oh, you're some o' those crazy teenagers who I've read about in the paper who are walking everywhere? Well best o' luck to ya'." He said clearly not thinking very much of the idea.

"Thanks, we're here cause Harry here has some distant relative on his mother's side who used to live around here, some place called Godric's Hollow ya' ever hear of it?" Taylor asked.

"Taylor!" Harry growled. "What do you think you are doing?" He scowled at Taylor wishing he could shut her up and get out of there before they brought too much attention to themselves. Maybe he could jinx her!

"Oh don't mind him," Taylor said shaking her head sadly. "He's always grumpy when he's hungry, we ran out of food last night. Misjudged the time it would take us to walk this far!"

The gray haired man smiled, "Yeah, I can relate to that. Name's Theodore Wearing. Folk's call me Ted," and he stuck out his hand.

Taylor hesitated a half a heartbeat, and then she stuck out her hand and shook his. "Mine's Taylor Herbert, and that's Harry Granger."

Harry groaned to himself again but shook the man's hand none the less. He was going to have to play along for now until he figured out what Taylor was up to.

"Well, I was just visiting my Bessie. She's been gone now for three years; was married for fifty-two years. I'm heading back home now if you'd all like to walk with me?" Ted asked as he set out in the direction he had told them Rodic's Hollow was.

Taylor fell into step beside the gray haired man and listened as he talked. He told them about the area and some of the local sites they might like to visit. Harry followed a little behind. He was very wary of what was going on. This guy could be leading them into some sort of trap.

Taylor listened and asked a few questions here and there, until they came upon a house, then another, and another; they had reached the small village. There were only about fifteen houses in all. Ted pointed out the corner market, and then asked if they would like to come to his place instead for some sandwiches.

Taylor said sure, and Harry said no. They went into Ted's for lunch.

Ted gave them roast beef sandwiches and tea. All the while telling them about the area and its people.

Taylor asked, "Have you ever heard of a Godric's Hollow around these parts?"

"No, can't say's I have I've lived in these parts for fifteen years. But if it was before that your relatives lived here, place might'a changed names. Tha' happens sometimes." Ted replied.

Taylor shot Harry a look and asked, trying to sound nonchalant about it, "Oh yeah? You wouldn't have heard tell of a house around here that blew-up, oh about, sixteen or seventeen years ago would you?"

Ted looked at her closely then said, "As a matter of fact I did. It happened about a year before my Bessie and I moved here, now just how would you know about that?"

Taylor swallowed and launched into the tale she had come up with. "Well you see Harry's relatives had crossed this big mob boss and they were in hiding. They were supposed to be safe but, somehow they were found out and their house was blown up and they were killed. I thought it would be neat to go and see where it happened. I mean they were supposed to be such a nice young couple and to have that happen to them. I thought if we had a look around maybe we could see some clue as to what really happened. I've watched all kinds of detective shows on TV and stuff." She finished with the brightest smile she could make. Everything hung on whether Ted believed her story or not.

Ted looked at her for a few minutes as if unsure whether to believe her or not then he began shaking his head. Taylor's hope plummeted, he didn't buy it.

He began to speak again, "Young people these days! They watch that ole' tele and think they know everything. Well I guess it can't hurt to tell you where the house used to be, but you ain't a gonna' find anything there. The house, or what's left of it, is on the other side of the village. Go past the corner market, then on past the last house on the left and you'll see it if you look closely. It's purty grown up in brush now."

Harry was surprised Taylor had found out where the house was, if it was the right house, but he was fairly sure it was. How many houses do they have blown up in this area after all? They finished eating and asked if there was anything they could do to pay for their meal. Ted had chuckled and said that them listening to him ramble on was payment enough. They said good-bye and thanked him again, and then they set out for the place where their parents had been killed.

They walked to where Ted had told them to in the road, and looked to the left and there in the bushes they could just make out the remains of a house. They stepped off the road and made their way towards the remains. They spent the rest of the daylight hours walking around what was left of the house after sixteen years, and talking about what they knew about what happened that night. Harry did most of the talking.

When it became dark Harry made a small fire in as sheltered a place as they could find then he did a muggle repelling spell and renewed the Muffliato charm he had used earlier that day, in case it was weakening. They didn't want to be over heard by anyone muggle or magical.

Harry opened his bag and took out the little picture frame of Dumbledore and a loaf of bread he had brought, then he transfigured a couple of sticks into cups and filled them with water using his wand.

"Well it is sure nice to be out of there, if you don't mind me saying so Harry, it was a bit, how shall I say it, smelly in there. Maybe you should allow your bag to stay open for a while," the painting of Dumbledore said conversationally.

Taylor snorted into the cup from which she was just about to have a drink. She tried not to laugh but the harder she tried the harder she laughed, until tears were rolling down her checks and she was holding her sides.

Harry sent her a dirty look and said, "Oh shut up Taylor, it's not that funny."

The painting of Dumbledore waited until Taylor finally stopped laughing. He was smiling and there was a twinkle in his eye, that, Taylor thought, clearly was his intention to make her laugh. Then he began to speak again, " I suppose I did promise to tell you how it is that this painting came to be in the graveyard beside James and Lily's grave stone. You see Harry, and Taylor of course, I knew sometime back, that it was very possible that something might happen to me when I started, in earnest to look for the Horcruxes. So I took a number of steps to ensure that you Harry, were not left alone to try and find the remaining Horcruxes. One of those steps was to put this painting beside your parents' grave stone, but like you said earlier how was I to ensure that it was you who found it and not someone else? I decided, and please forgive me, but the charm I put on the flower allowed it to grow, only from tears shed for James and Lily. You see by doing this, it made the likelihood of someone else discovering the painting, highly unlikely." The painting said, his voice soft and gentle. Harry and Taylor both nodded their agreement. "Now how did I know you were going to go to your parents' grave? Well I just had a feeling that would be one place you were very likely to go. I am however quite surprised by the way that you used to get here. Really Harry, running from the Order is not the best of ideas. (Harry's mouth fell open at this statement) I know it might have seemed the right thing to do at the time but I think in the future we need to think of a better way. (How? Harry asked) I am a wizard painting Harry, I can move freely from one of my paintings to another. Professor McGonagall was quite upset when she came back from the meeting last night, not only did you manage to Apparate away from the protection of the Order, but she said you also do not intend on going back to Hogwarts. I believe this would be a huge mistake Harry." The painting of Dumbledore then began asking questions about what they had done this summer so far, and what had happened at the wedding. When Harry mentioned the Dark Magic spells that Taylor had used, Dumbledore asked Taylor a lot of questions about them and where she had found them. Taylor told him everything.

It was almost midnight when they finished talking and the painting told them to get some sleep, then Dumbledore stepped out of the frame and was gone. Taylor lay down and covered up in her cloak. Harry had said he would take the first watch.

Taylor was asleep in minutes; she was exhausted. She had been staying up late reading those books for nights on end, and then last night she and Harry had talked until around three. She fell into a deep sleep. All was black, then there was a sound; it came again this time she could just make it out, it was someone laughing. The laughing grew louder until she had no trouble hearing it. It was like no laugh she had ever heard before. It was a high, cold, mirthless laugh that made all the hairs on Taylor's neck stand up. The laughing kept growing louder until it sounded as if whoever was laughing was right in front of her. Taylor broke out in a cold sweat. There was a flash of green light and the laughing stopped. There was a new and much more terrifying sound; that of a snake hissing. Taylor tried to move, tried to run. She couldn't. It was as if she were frozen. The hissing kept getting louder; she could feel the snake on her skin, as it slithered up her body. She tried to scream, but no sound came. The snake wrapped itself around her mind, its tail sliding down and coiling around her heart. Taylor became unfrozen and she screamed.

Harry had been thinking of waking Taylor up so he could get some sleep, his eyes were getting very heavy. Taylor's scream brought him fully awake in an instant. She wasn't yelling but screaming a blood-curdling scream that had Harry's hair standing on end.

"Taylor! TAYLOR!" yelled Harry as he rushed over to her to try and wake her up. Taylor kept screaming. Harry grabbed a hold of her and gave her a shake, "Wake Up Taylor!" When her eyes opened Harry almost wished they hadn't, there was nothing in them but sheer terror, and she was still screaming. Harry didn't know what to do. "Taylor, come on, it was just a dream," he yelled at her but her eyes didn't focus on him. He tried shaking her again but it didn't do any good, she just kept screaming. Harry was desperate, so he did the only thing he could think of to bring her out of it. He slapped her on the face, his hand stung from the impact and his stomach gave an ugly roll at having slapped a girl, but Taylor's eyes came back into focus and she stopped screaming.

The first thing Taylor saw was Harry, but she could still feel the cold coils of the snake wrapped around her. She began to shake, she was soaking wet, her stomach heaved and she rolled over and was sick. When she pushed herself back over, it was all she could do to move that far. Her body still shook, she felt so cold she wasn't sure if she would ever be warm again.

Harry watched Taylor be sick and he didn't know what to do. She was shaking so hard he could hear her teeth chattering, and although her eyes were now looking at him he had never seen such fear in anyone's eyes, especially Taylor; she was always so fearless. "Are you ok Taylor?" he asked because he didn't know what else to do or say. She had scared him half to death.

"Harry, what is wrong? Why was Taylor screaming," the painting of Dumbledore asked, his voice tight with concern. Harry had left the frame out so it wouldn't be in his bag all night.

"I don't know Professor, she just started screaming in her sleep, I couldn't wake her up. I…I … I hit her to try and bring her out of it. I'm sorry Taylor. I didn't know what else to do." Harry said his voice breaking as he said it. Taylor was still shaking but not as hard now, her eyes however had never left him, they were losing some of the fear in them though. She hadn't yet uttered a sound since she had stopped screaming.

"Taylor! Tell me what just happened." Dumbledore commanded.

Taylor took a shaky breath, and then another, but she was only trembling now, and she sat up pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them, her fingers going to the pendant that hung around her neck. It was hot, but it felt good in her ice cold hand. Harry dried her off with a drying charm and wrapped her cloak around her. When she began to speak her voice trembled. She told them in halting sentences what had happened in her dream. When she came to the part about the snake wrapping itself around her she began to shake all over again, and the terror returned to her eyes. It was only Dumbledore's firm voice that kept her going until she had told them the whole thing.

Dumbledore was quiet for a minute when Taylor finished. Harry thought it sounded a little like some of the things he used to see in his dreams and he said as much. Dumbledore shook his head and said, "I do not believe this would be like the dreams you used to have Harry. Taylor was not seeing into something Voldemort was thinking or planning. Have you ever had a dream like this before?"

"No. I've ne… never had anything like this happen before," Taylor replied her voice still breaking a time or two.

"Why don't you try to get some sleep Harry, I will stay and keep Taylor company," Dumbledore said. Harry gratefully accepted, as soon as Taylor told him it was ok. Dumbledore talked for a long while about mundane things, like some of the places he had traveled to and different ways of catching a fire salamander without burning your fingers.

As Dumbledore spoke, his voice was calm and reassuring. Taylor's mind began to work again on something more than rerunning the dream over and over again. Why had she had such a dream if you could call it that, even to call it a nightmare, didn't adequately describe it. She had never before experienced such terror. Or had she? She couldn't shake the feeling that it had somehow been more real then a dream, and she told the painting of Dumbledore as much. He didn't say much about that, except that he would have to think about it. Taylor wondered how a painting could think.

A/N Well here is another chapter! And things are really starting to happen! First I want to clear up something before confused people ask. You need to remember that this was written BEFORE Deathly Hallows came out and as such I had to take all my ideas of how the Harry world worked from Book 6 and so 1 of the things I did wonder about was where was Godric's Hollow? The way it was mentioned made me think that muggles might not know where it was so that was why Ted didn't know. Plus Ted was Ted long before I read about Lupin's son! (A pure coincidence!) Also the way that Godric's Hollow was talked about made me think that maybe it wasn't easy to find, this was just my impression when I read the books. So hopefully you will let me have a little writters liscence in this fact.

This is an important chapter in this story, while the last one was my favorite this one really starts us down the road to what this story is all about... that being said I will say no more! ;) Just know that this chapter really starts to explain WHO Taylor is as a charactor.

I want to take this opportunity to say a big THANK YOU! to my first reviewer! deanine. Thank you! As well as all of you who have added this story to their favorites or story alerts! Thank you!

Again I would very much LOVE to hear what you think of this story! Or if you have questions I promise to try to answer them as best I can without giveing the story away! Plus if I know where people have questions then I can try to fix them.

Thank you also to my bata barbc! I will see you tonight at the preview! :)

Until next time, cytpotter