Author's Notes: Another fun chapter to write.

After Harry had brooded in his room for a considerable length of time, Dobby stuck his head—which was much bigger in relation to the rest of his tiny body—in the doorway being careful to technically remain outside of Harry's room. "Master Harry?" He squeaked conspiratorially. "Dobby has prepared Master Harry's favorite pudding! And Dobby made cake to celebrate Master's thirteenth birthday! Will Master Harry eat Dobby's carefully crafted desserts?" The little creature looked extraordinarily pleased with himself.

"I don't feel hungry," Harry said. The Sneakoscope let out a short whistle and stilled once again. Harry sent it an irritated look. "I don't want to eat right now." The Sneakoscope didn't budge.

"But it's Master's Birthday Feast!" Dobby exclaimed shrilly, tugging at his ears anxiously.

"I don't care."

"Dobby will twist his ears very painfully if Master does not attend, for it means Dobby has failed to make sweets that Master Harry enjoys," the house-elf said tremulously, pitiful eyes watery as his long-fingered hands wrapped around his floppy ears.

"I'll go!" Harry stomped his feet to the ground as he pushed himself upright. He walked out of his room and pulled the door shut, looking at the little house-elf whose height barely reached his navel. "I'll go. Don't pull on your ears."

Dobby dropped his hands with a satisfied look and disappeared.

With an annoyed sigh, Harry tromped down the stairs. He pushed open the door leading to the sitting room and then, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARRY!" startled him so soundly that he fell back onto the stairs.

His heart was pounding in his ears as an embarrassed flush appeared on his face. He stood up with as much dignity as he could muster, while many expectant eyes laughed at him silently. "Er… thank you," he managed even though sudden warm emotion choked him.

Every single one of his Slytherin year-mates was there, even Sally-Anne Perks whose parents were both Squibs and incapable of Apparating her to Snape's home. Draco looked quite smug standing between the leggy, bulky Crabbe and solid Goyle, who now were heads taller than any of the present Slytherins. Harry could feel the threat of tears tickling the back of his throat. He'd never had a birthday party before. Even if Hermione wasn't there, Harry was still overjoyed to even be allowed a party.

"But… how?" Harry looked at the rest. "Besides Sally-Anne and Davis, I thought you were all traveling out of country!"

"Professor Snape sent us letters weeks ago!" Pansy Parkinson answered with a sly grin.

Harry's chest suffused further with deepening warmth. Snape had dropped a hint at Hogsmeade about this very scenario; he'd said, 'You seem to have little capacity for expressing your wishes in a timely fashion.' Ergo, Harry's guardian had seen to it that Harry had a birthday party, even though it hadn't occurred to Harry to have one until Draco mentioned it.

"Our parents scheduled our return to Britain to coincide with your first ever birthday-fest!" Daphne Greengrass said cheerfully, while Millicent Bulstrode nodded next to her.

Harry narrowed his eyes at Theodore Nott. "You were in Malaysia."

Theodore said boisterously, "My Da shipped me back as soon as he got the letter. I've been writing to you from my cousin Barnie's house ever since. I timed it and everything." He waggled his eyebrows. "The famous Harry Potter didn't notice a thing!"

A mystified Harry was bombarded with laughter from his year-mates. Exasperated, he looked up at the ceiling; with the impromptu exam, his guardian had bought useful time for the rest of them to have the sitting room bedecked with silver streamers. Every inch of the room, save for the books, had been Transfigured to various shades of dark green; even the lantern flame was green. Harry thought that Nanua and Dobby must have helped them, since it was unlawful for Underage wizards and witches to use magic outside of school.

"What's the agenda? Feast first or presents?" Draco asked haughtily as Harry roamed around the room looking at how everything had changed. There were nine ebony chairs sitting in a circle around a low, circular table next to a plump, high-backed chair, appearing to be made of green velvet.

"Presents. You can all bleeding well wait for food," Harry plopped down onto the armchair Snape typically favored, noticing that the lumpy pillow was much more comfortable than before.

The others sat down, Draco and his pawns on Harry's right, Theodore and then Sally-Anne on Harry's left. The rest filled in as they liked. Parkinson sat directly across from Harry with Davis and Greengrass on either side of her, while Bulstrode chose to sit by Goyle.

As soon as everyone had settled, a present suddenly appeared on Harry's lap. He checked the tag. "A gift from Pansy," Harry said to the rest of them as he began to open the gift.

"You beat my bribe?" Draco retorted.

Parkinson merely smiled elegantly.

Harry pulled out a small white box. He opened the top and inside was a fancy-looking knife that appeared a bit unwieldy to cut with. Harry couldn't tell if it was made of silver or not, but the handle was wrought into a fanciful serpent, its eyes made of emerald. He lifted it, giving a curious look to Parkinson.

"It's a letter opener, Goblin-made, rumored to have belonged to Salazar Slytherin himself. The handle will go hot if it detects poison. The Enchantments have been updated, of course, since there are a great many more poisons available now than there was at the time of Slytherin."

"This is amazing. Thanks, Parkinson…"

She cleared her throat. "Your Grace may call me Pansy, if he wishes to."

Harry chortled. "Alright, Pansy as long as you call me Harry and not your Grace."

Pansy beamed happily. "Of course, Harry."

He carefully placed the knife back into the narrow box and set it on the low table. Immediately another present appeared in Harry's lap. He checked the tag, but it didn't say who it was from. Harry pulled the thick green ribbon from around the box.

"Whose is that?" Draco demanded irately as his head swiveled to look at his bemused year-mates, obviously having been bribed out of second-place.

Harry lifted the lid. Inside was a letter addressed to him in slanted, flowery script. He lifted it by the corner and flipped it. Imprinted in the wax was a coat of arms he didn't recognize holding a dark green ribbon in place. "It must be from Dumbledore," he said lifting the letter opener from Pansy's package.

"You get correspondence from the headmaster?" Sally-Anne said with awe in her voice.

"He gave me a Christmas gift my first year at Hogwarts." Harry adjusted his grip on the letter to angle the letter opener for proper insertion.

"That looks like the coat of arms of the—" Draco's voice was suddenly cut off when Harry promptly felt the world spin around him, mainly centered from behind his navel.

Harry knew right away that it wasn't Apparation as he didn't feel as if he was being stuffed through a drinking straw.

When the world braked suddenly, Harry dropped onto a dusty, lumpy chair.

"Harry! You made it to my birthday party!" A voice he didn't quite recognize shouted excitedly.

Letter and letter opener still in grasp, Harry looked around and saw that round-faced Neville Longbottom had grown a bit stouter. There was no one else in the dusty, dimly lit sitting room as far as Harry could tell. "Your birthday party?" He placed both objects onto the solid, dark table in front of him. There was a saucer with a china teacup filled to the brim with tea that had obviously been prepared with the cream and sugar Harry preferred. "Er, Neville, I didn't realize I was invited." In fact, he'd had no idea that they shared a birthdate.

"Oh, well there was a note and if you'd opened it before the allotted time it would've told you about the Portkey. Sorry about that. Must've given you quite the fright," Neville took up his teacup and took a delicate sip.

Harry took the teacup sitting in front of him and drank nearly the whole thing to settle his startled nerves. It was entirely too quiet in the musty-smelling room. "So… this letter is a Portkey?"

Neville nodded. "Nobody's ever come to my birthday before, which I can understand since Gran is…" He trailed off.

Tilting his head, Harry gave him a funny look. "Er, your grandmother wouldn't happen to be Augusta Longbottom, would it?"

"Why, yes, that's Gran's name! How'd you know?"

"She's fighting for custody of me," Harry didn't mean to say. He blinked.

"Oh… Oh! That would make us brothers!" Neville clapped excitedly. "I've always wanted a brother, especially someone as brilliant and kind like you!"

"I'm not that brilliant, and I could be kinder if I didn't think people would take advantage of me," Harry said compulsively. He frowned at himself.

"Hey, so," Neville said breathlessly, "Wanna go outside and play some Quidditch? Maybe teach me some pointers? I know it might not be fun since I don't fly very high, but what do you say?"

Harry grinned as great warmth spread through him. "Yes, I'd like that very much. I've been cooped up in Snape's house all summer."

Unfortunately, before they could go anywhere, wood creaked above them. Harry twisted and saw that the wizened Matriarch of the Longbottom family stood at the top of the stairs.

"Welcome, Harry Potter, to Longbottom Manor," came her gravelly voice.

"Why've you brought me here?"

In a dark yellow dress that had tired, gold peacock feathers flying off the cuffs and collar, the old woman slowly walked down the steps, sliding her hand along the bannister. "It is my grandson's birthday and I wished to surprise him," she said waving her other gnarled hand. She seemed nicer in her own house since she hadn't threatened to hex Harry's mouth shut for being rude.

"I believe there's another reason?" Harry said through a frown. Neville made a small noise; His expression looked a little hurt.

Arriving at the bottom of the stairs, Mrs. Longbottom looked down her nose at Harry. "I understand that you care a great deal for those you are close to…"

"Did you just threaten my friends?" Harry asked sharply, watching every last nuance of the old woman's face.

"No, dear. What purpose would that serve? Good gracious those dreadful Muggles taught you to treat family with cynicism." She sighed with deep disappointment. "No, there is a matter we must discuss about your guardian's true loyalties."

"My guardian Severus Snape hasn't taught me any Dark magic or tried to make me sympathetic to the Dark Lord," Harry said instead of what he'd intended to say. He was growing irritated by his sudden spate of honesty.

"Neville, you may go. I won't delay your playmate long for your thirteenth birthday," she said with a severe tone, clasping her hands together.

"Yes, Gran," Neville said quickly, nearly tripping over himself to leave the room.

After several more moments, Augusta Longbottom said, "As you well know, You-Know-Who is keen to rise again and obliterate any presence of rebellion."

Harry nodded, but only just. "Voldemort wants to kill me because I ruined his plans at the pinnacle of his power."

"Precisely. You are aware that of all of You-Know-Who's known supporters that only Severus has escaped Azkaban." Steel green eyes stayed on his as the Longbottom Matriarch moved to the opposite side of him. "There is a reason for that. Do you know how You-Know-Who kept his Death Eaters loyal?"

Harry opened his mouth to talk about Lucius Malfoy, but when she asked something else he answered that instead. "No… I don't, but I have a feeling you're about to tell me." What had changed? He was never this free with his words.

"You-Know-Who used a most Dark curse of his own devising to brand a victim's very soul as his property," she said quietly. "The physical manifestation is on the Death Eater's wand-arm. Have you never noticed that your guardian only wears robes with tight-fitting, long sleeves?"

"I thought he had trouble staying warm even during summer," Harry admitted. He had thought it was a little odd.

Mrs. Longbottom smiled and tapped her left forearm. "The most damning evidence of his loyalty to You-Know-Who is the fact that he survived. Only those who truly desire to follow You-Know-Who's commands live through the branding. All others perish. Thereafter, You-Know-Who may summon his branded followers to him at any time."

"Like this letter brought me here?" Harry said lifting the letter from the table.

"You-Know-Who cannot whisk his servants to him without a Portkey. However, they will be compelled to answer their master's call. Denying it would be perilous for a Death Eater. You see, their loyalty would be called into question."

Harry took a bold breath. "Snape wouldn't hand me over," he said, still mulling over what she'd told him.

She let out a small sigh. "I am offering the refuge of my home to you, Harry Potter, because I am grateful that you defeated You-Know-Who. Had my son and his wife been in their right state of mind I believe they would have prevented my bastard grandchild from ever gaining custody of you. I apologize for taking so long to come to a decision."

Harry blinked at her, and his mouth opened, "Why hadn't they?"

"Neville hasn't told you about his parents?" Mrs. Longbottom's eyes flashed with anger.

"Er, we aren't exactly that close."

"Interesting since Neville speaks quite highly of you. Seems you helped him out of a few sticky spots, despite you belonging to a different Hogwarts house?"

"I hate bullies and even the ones in Gryffindor pick on him," Harry said, rubbing his aching neck. "So, what happened to his parents?"

"They're in St. Mungo's," she said quietly. "Death Eaters tortured them until they lost all sense of themselves." Harry grew very chilled at that. "My son and his wife were Aurors, very well-respected. By adopting you, I can honor their sacrifice."

"Professor Snape gave me a home," Harry hissed out and then tightly shut his mouth. Why was he compulsively telling the truth? What had he done besides touch the letter opener and the Portkey? Harry's eyes settled onto the empty teacup. Could he have been drugged?

"I care that you seem taken in by the lies of a Death Eater," the old woman said softly, her expression sour. "He cares no more for you than he does for a useful ingredient for a valuable potion."

Suspicious thoughts swept away in a tide of righteous anger, Harry jumped to his feet. "He does too! He's protected me from Voldemort and taught me how to use my magic and to trust my housemates and to survive—and to think!"

"He is a Death Eater and a Dark Arts practitioner," Augusta Longbottom stressed. "I expect the half-blood has been acting as your mentor to gain your trust, so when the time comes, you will be a peace offering to You-Know-Who to make amends for Snape's public denouncement."

"You take that back," Harry warned.

"The only reason that Death Eater has escaped Azkaban is because he chose his savior wisely: Albus Dumbledore, who is both financially and politically powerful."

"You don't like Professor Snape because he tricked you out of a house-elf!"

Mrs. Longbottom didn't even blink as she stared at him steadily. "I know you don't want to hear it, but your guardian does not care about you. Not one bit."

"That's a lie! He does!"

The old woman watched him for a moment. "He does not, Harry," she said quietly, "He is incapable of empathy, has lacked it since he was a child. As it is, if it weren't for Dumbledore's firm resolve to 'rehabilitate' him, that Death Eater likely would have lost his post as a Hogwarts professor years ago."

Harry opened his mouth in his guardian's defense. However, Mrs. Longbottom twitched her wand toward him and he quite suddenly found that his lips were stuck together. Harry's hands went to his mouth, horrified that his lips would not come unstuck.

"It has only been recently that students have been graduating with first-rate potion-making skills." When Harry only glared at her, she clucked. "You will discover the truth for yourself sooner or later." She twitched her wand at Harry again. "Now, run along, dear. My grandson has been waiting rather patiently for you in the garden."

Once his lips unstuck, Harry fled from the room. He didn't stop until he was outside in the bright afternoon sunlight. On the other side of the grassy expanse, Harry saw Neville with two brooms, both Shooting Stars. Harry stifled his tears. That woman was a terror. No wonder Neville was terrified of the similar-looking and similarly ill-mannered Professor Snape.

Why was Professor Snape nastier towards Neville in particular? Other non-Slytherins were just as bad at Potions as Neville and Snape didn't bully them so viciously. Perhaps… Neville was a symbol of the family from which Snape had been cast out from...?

Even though his heart still stung from Mrs. Longbottom's malicious lies, Harry understood her intent. The truth was that Harry's guardian could viciously eviscerate a person with his words since he never suffered fools silently. Harry had on more than one occasion gotten the brunt of the professor's verbal abuse in Potions class for speaking out of turn or coming to Hermione's or Neville's defense, but in private Snape was meticulously non-judgmental, so long as Harry avoided whatever dangers his guardian warned him about. Wondering about that contradiction, Harry supposed that Snape kept up his nastiness to keep his students in line…

"Hey, Harry!" Neville cheerfully greeted him and then saw the tears that Harry was hastily scrubbing away. "Oh," the Gryffindor looked down at his broom. "Gran makes me cry, too."

Harry took a deep breath. "I won't stay and play like a good little boy, Neville. I left friends at my birthday party at Spinner's End."

"I didn't know it was your birthday."

"I had no idea yours was today either." Harry gave him a wan smile. "Happy Birthday, Neville."

Neville grinned broadly. "Happy Birthday, Harry."

"I've got to get out of here; I've made my friends wait long enough."

The other teen looked crushed at the news and nodded towards the woods. "You'd have to get past the forest if you want to leave."

Harry grabbed his wand from his holster and turned towards the dark forest. "Do these trees completely surround the Longbottom property?"

"Yes, it's a passive home defense. My mum was brilliant at Herbology and my dad at Care of Magical Creatures… It was their hobby of sorts, when they weren't catching Dark Wizards. But Harry, you don't wanna go in there. Trust me, I've tried to run away for as long as I can remember. There's vines that'll drag you into the bushes until Gran gets you and flowers that'll knock you out… Spiders as big as your head, like the ones in the Forbidden Forest, and frightfully dangerous snakes in there, Harry!"

"Snakes?" Harry gestured towards the forest. "Whereabouts would you say they were?"

Face pale, Neville swallowed thickly. He pointed to the left. "North-North-west of here. There's a whole nest of them. Th-they didn't hurt me when they dragged me back to Gran. And Harry," He took a great gulp of air, "Gran's not even a Parselmouth, and they did that! I don't think that they'll let us through even if you talk to them." Neville's voice cracked fearfully.

No matter how likely it was that they were trapped, Harry refused to give up without trying. "Did you want to come with me?"

Neville's brown eyes widened. "You would let me come to your party…?"

"Yes, you've never been nasty to me… Though," he rubbed the back of his sore neck, "It doesn't hurt that you obviously know the forest better than I do."

The Gryffindor looked furtively left and right and dropped his broom. "I've never been invited to anyone's party before, Harry. Let's go before Gran catches us," he whispered.

"Then get your wand out and follow me."

Neville frowned and pulled his wand from the fancy holster strapped to his worn slacks. "But we can't use magic, Harry…"

"Just keep it out; I'll protect you if something happens," Harry said, meaning it. He took off at a rapid jog. Neville treaded heavily after him. Within a minute, Neville was breathing hard, though he didn't complain about Harry's pace.

Breathing only somewhat elevated because of the exercise regime his guardian had insisted he follow since the beginning of summer, Harry stopped at the edge of the forest. Neville put his hands on his knees to mercifully catch his breath. Harry looked around, assessing that he needed to be wary and nothing more. This forest didn't seem nearly as old as the Forbidden Forest near Hogwarts, which made sense if it'd only been around since Neville's parents started it.

"Ho-how are we going to get to your house from here, Harry?"

Harry continued into the forest, remembering the tracking skills Snape had immersed him in seven weeks ago to avoid becoming lost. "Have you ever made it out of the forest, Neville?"

"N-no."

"Let's worry about that first."

Minutes passed as they walked into the pathless forest. Harry made sure that they continued on a mostly straight line. It was entirely too easy to go around in circles when one was surrounded by tall trees, and the thick shade blotted out the sun. Harry paused when the area around them suddenly went quiet. He had noticed that there weren't many tracks here. He mostly found the scat of birds, squirrels and rabbits.

Neville grabbed his cloak suddenly. "Harry," the boy whinged.

Harry looked up and saw that there was a whole row of beady, slitty eyes arranged in a circular manner. He turned, head swiveling, and saw that they were hemmed in by snakes. Merlin, they were quiet. It was a bit unnerving.

The watch on Harry's forearm immediately went ice-cold, but before he could check it a very large, silver snake appeared in front of them out of thin air, floating. The Dark creature had a feathery crest at the top of its head running partway down its serpentine neck and back like a mane of sorts. Harry looked up to see that the rest of its thick body was wrapped around a tree branch above them. "Neville, can these snakes become invisible?"

"I… I don't remember." Neville made a noise of fear as he clutched and leaned into Harry's back. "Harry, I don't like snakes!"

"Bear with them a little longer, Neville." Harry turned to the magnificent snake. "Hello," Harry hissed, "We would like safe passage through the forest." He could feel his classmate trembling behind him.

The snake blinked at him as if surprised to hear Parseltongue. "Ah, you would, would you?"

The other snakes around them began to laugh in their whispery manner. "Harry!" Neville sounded as if he were on the verge of panic.

"Yes, Neville Longbottom," Harry tripped over the very unwieldy name, "and I are thirteen today and will celebrate our birthday elsewhere."

The reddish crest at the top of the snake's diamond-shaped head flattened and then rose again curiously. "Happy birthday, younglings. However, we swore to protect his sire and font's territory for allowing our presence, and that includes him. Neville Longbottom must not be allowed to leave."

"What is she saying, Harry?" Neville whispered with awe when they weren't suddenly attacked and bound up. His trembling had subsided some.

"She?" Harry blinked.

"Yeah, the head-crest on an Opalescent Lionsnake determines the gender," the boy said faintly. An Opalescent Lionsnake? Harry mused. Theodore had said they were Dark and venomous.

"I promised to protect him," Harry hissed, "You may come along with me if you want to keep him safe outside his parents' territory."

The Lionsnake's crest rose higher as if interested by the prospect and then the snake made a short spitting hiss, which caused Neville to jump. Harry's brain translated it into a scoff. "My place is within this forest. What is your name? I have never spoken to a Wizardling before."

"Harry Potter," Harry thought his name sounded rather neat in Parselmouth, like chains of hisses and inhaled syllables.

She made a loud hissing noise that Harry couldn't quite follow. Was it a slithery whistle or her name? "But, you may call me June."

"Harry?" Neville asked quietly.

"She said her name was June."

"Will she let us pass or not?"

Harry noticed movement on the tree trunk closest to them. Two small silver-brown snakes with orange crests were peering at them. "I don't know yet," Harry answered truthfully. Neville's hold on his cloak grew tighter.

"I will allow you passage, younglings." June lowered her body further, pointing her nose and forked tongue towards the small snakes. "Once mature, these two will provide you safety at a destination of your choosing beyond the forest. Give them territory, Wizardling, and they and their descendants will protect it and its true denizens to the end of their line."

Stepping closer to the small snakes, Harry raised a gentle hand towards them.

"Harry!" Neville's voice sounded strangled. "Be careful!"

"Hello," Harry said calmly, ignoring his year-mate's panicked tone.

The snakes bobbed their heads and simultaneously wrapped themselves around Harry's arm under his robe sleeve like a spiraling bracer. Reaching his shoulder, one of them crawled across to his other arm and wrapped around his other bicep, completely avoiding the freezing cold amulet on his forearm. The other popped its head up from his neckline and curled its body to face his eyes. The small crest raised up similar to June's. Harry assumed the snake was female. "Others of your kind fear us. Do not reveal us. We are too young to protect ourselves."

"Got it." Harry watched as her scales shimmered and then she disappeared. Harry felt her withdraw under his robes. He turned and saw Neville look at him with a horrified expression.

"The snakes are checking to see if I'm a danger to them," Harry lied. Inwardly he was relieved. It appeared his spate of unintentional honesty was done. Whatever potion Neville's Gran had drugged Harry's tea with had worn off. "They've already dropped out of my sleeves. See?" He pulled his robe sleeves back to show Neville. Harry could feel the snakes wriggling, but they were quite obviously invisible.

"Oh," Neville said and then looked confused as he carefully picked up each foot, inspecting the ground.

Harry re-covered his sleeves. "Ready to go?"

"S-sure."

Harry turned to the large hanging snake. "Thank you, June. I already know a good home for these two."

"My First Commander will escort you to the opposite side." She pulled herself up to her branch. "Take care, Boy-Who-Survived-Great-Terror-And-Anguish."

Cheeks coloring, Harry frowned at the Lionsnake, and then it dawned on him why his name had sounded more natural in Parseltongue compared to Neville's. Whatever automatically translated his native English to Parseltongue had done the same to his name.

Neville tugged on Harry's cloak. "Can we go yet?" He asked anxiously.

"Yes," Harry said, his eyes on the large circle of snakes surrounding them. All but one shimmered and disappeared, and Harry could hear them slithering through the decaying plant matter on the ground.

"I am your escort, Boy-Who-Survived-Great-Terror-And-Anguish." The non-invisible, extraordinarily large snake had a flatter face and its red crest only had a few rows of quills across, unlike June's. After Harry nodded in understanding, it turned slithering forward, its head at his eye level. From about two-thirds down its body, there were brightly colored red quills that ruffled as the snake moved, ending in a wickedly sharp black-red spine at the end of the silver snake's tail. There were poisonous green lines striped down each side of it.

Unable to stand the cold any longer, Harry quickly slipped off the Bewitched watch and put it in his pocket, while he walked after the First Commander. Neville clumsily followed after him on the uneven ground. They walked for a long time through the dense shade of the forest without encountering anything. It was cool despite being the hottest part of the day.

Harry could see bright sunlight beyond the far trees ahead of them and knew they were close. However, the ground between them and the edge of the forest looked covered with black burrs.

Suddenly a loud, hissing war cry shred the tranquil air, and the black burrs scurried around on eight legs, rearing up on their back legs with glistening fangs. As the First Commander calmly led Harry and Neville to the forest's edge, Harry observed the large dead spiders, lying on their backs with their legs curled up on the ground as they passed. Only a single black-red spine was in many of them.

"Th-this reminds me of Aragog's spawn from last year," Neville said nervously. "Except Ron and I didn't have Opalescent Lionsnakes to help us. I thought we were done for until his dad's car came to save us."

"Aragog?" Harry noticed that Neville had calmed some when the snakes didn't attack them.

"Yeah, Hagrid raised him when he was student, but got caught. Hermione said Hagrid probably wouldn't have been expelled if he hadn't kept raising dangerous and illegal creatures at Hogwarts. Sweet fellow can't really help himself though, can he?"

Hermione had forgotten to mention that tidbit about Hagrid to Harry. He frowned as a little worm of jealousy made itself known that Neville might be closer to Hermione than he was. Harry ruthlessly smothered it.

Ahead of them, a loud hissing of jubilation started and then a strange clacking noise came from around them. "Sounds like they won," Harry said. He saw that the remaining spiders were fleeing.

Stepping into the bright sunlight, Harry was warmed by it. He turned nodding towards the snake, "Thank you for your help, First Commander. We will remember June's generosity."

The large snake bowed its head and turned as it shimmered, disappearing.

"What now, Harry? Can I put my wand away?"

"Yes, I don't think you'll need it. Now, we need to find a road," he said, keeping his wand in hand. They crested a hill. For as far as they could see, there was farmland and hilly pastures around them. They couldn't be far from civilization.

Harry trekked down the hill and up a taller one, knowing Neville would follow.