Disclaimer: All that is not JKR's is mine-and that mainly consists in the human character of Nagini and the influence she exerts on the magical world.

Chapter 18: Revelations, Strange Sensations, Quidditch, and Revenge

Nagini sighed in relief when she opened her eyes and found herself on the edge of the familiar clearing of the Black Forest, but something was different. She looked around in surprise. No one was there. "Father!"" she cried running to the center of the clearing. "Father!" she cried again, panic creeping into her voice. He said he would never leave her again, so where was he? Why wasn''t he there waiting for her as usual? "Father?" she called again uncertainly. There was no response. Nagini clutched her locket and was just about to fall to her knees on the forest floor and give in to the tears that were threatening to spill when she heard a branch snap. She glanced up.

Her father pushed aside branches and entered the clearing. "Nagini," he said in surprise. "What are you—" But before he could finish, Nagini ran to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, burrowing her head in his robes; only now did the tears finally fall. Voldemort awkwardly wrapped his arms around her and rubbed his sobbing daughter's back, trying to soothe her. "Nagini, what is it?"

Nagini sniffled for a moment before looking up at him. "I'm sorry," she said shakily, brushing the tears from her eyes and trying to smile. ""It's just that you weren't here when I arrived. I tried calling to you, but you didn't answer. I thought you were gone again, even though you promised to never leave."

"Oh, Nagini," he said in a stilted, though gentle, voice, touched despite him better judgment by the young girl's pain at the thought of losing him. He stroked her hair softly. "I will never leave you again. Soon we will be together, and no one will be able to separate us."

Nagini smiled uncertainly up at him, and he continued, "But what are you doing here?"

Nagini furrowed her brow, confused. "You didn't call me?" she asked.

"No," he replied then smiled triumphantly, understanding dawning. "You came here on your own, Nagini. You traveled to the clearing as you remembered it. I felt your presence, and so I came as well."

"Really?" Nagini asked astonished. She smiled. All she had done was concentrate on the clearing and hope she would travel there as she fell asleep that night. If that was all it took, she would be able to visit her father whenever she wanted.

Sensing some of her thoughts, Voldemort added quickly, "But, Nagini, my daughter, you must take care. Only allow yourself to come here when I call you. It's not always safe otherwise. Do you understand?" Nagini nodded in disappointment, but Voldemort was relieved. He needed to be the one in control, and he couldn't risk his daughter somehow wandering into his own mind, following the trails of magical bonds he had created all those years ago to be able to access her dreams.

"Incidentally, why did you come here, tonight?" he asked. "I assume there was a reason."

Nagini nodded and took a moment to organize her thoughts. "Something's happened," she said finally, "and you wanted me to tell you about anything unusual that happened at Hogwarts."

He nodded. "Go, on," he said.

Nagini drew a breath and let the words tumble out of her. "There was a troll in the castle tonight," she said. Voldemort's eyes widened in shock. How could a troll enter Hogwarts? "It couldn't have been an accident," continued Nagini. "Professor Quirrell was more nervous than usual all day, almost as if he was expecting something to happen." Voldemort's eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of Quirrell, but Nagini didn't notice. "And he was the one to discover the troll," she went on looking up at her father, but he gazed off in the distance, lost in thought. "It was in the dungeons, but he had no reason to be there in the first place. His classroom's on the fourth floor."

Nagini trailed off and waited for her father to say something. After a moment he did. "That is very interesting, Nagini," he said slowly. "Thank you for telling me. I assume since you are here, that you were not hurt?"

She shook her head. "I don't think anyone was," she said.

He nodded slowly, still lost in thought. Obviously, Quirrell intended to use the opportunity to go after the Stone. "Where was Snape during this?" he asked suddenly.

Nagini looked at him, confused. She didn't think she had ever mentioned Professor Snape to him. "I don't know exactly,"" she answered slowly. "I assume he was with the other teachers. He left the Great Hall quickly, though, even before many of the students."

He nodded again, and they were silent for a moment. Anger and rage was building inside him at Quirrells's incompetence, but he kept it bottled up, and his face remained like a mask. It wouldn't do to have his daughter see him in a fury. He looked down at her. ""I am glad you told me this, Nagini."

"Do you know what happened?" she spoke up quickly, looking up at him with wide eyes. His eyes, or what they used to be. "Why it happened?""

Lip curled in amusement, he raised a hand to forestall more questions. "I believe I do, but for now all I can tell you is that I have found someone who wishes to help me regain my strength. For now, it is safer if you do not know much. The teachers will be on their guard now and will be watching for anything strange."

Nagini sighed and nodded again. She knew she would learn nothing if she begged. Her father despised people who begged; he thought they were weak, and Nagini didn't want him to think her weak. She wanted his approval desperately, so she held her tongue and kept her questions to herself. After all, she figured, if something was happening at Hogwarts, she would learn more about it sooner or later. And if she didn't, she would go looking for the answers.

Voldemort knew what she planning and smiled, but he said nothing to dissuade her. A touch of curiosity was good, and she would be another source of information of events in the castle, the most reliable source he could ever have.

"You need to be going now, Nagini," he said softly.

"Already?" she asked.

He nodded, and she sighed. Nagini buried her head once more in his robes and hugged him. He was prepared for it this time and stroked her hair gently. "Remember, daughter, learn everything you can, and do not draw attention to yourself. The teachers will be on the lookout now.""

Nagini stepped back and nodded. "I will," she promised as she watched as the clearing and her father faded into varying shades of gray, and she was left to slumber peacefully through the rest of the night.

Nagini watched as Quirrell held up a lizard to show them. He was explaining the myths behind the creature in ancient Greece, and Nagini jotted down notes, occasionally glancing at the clock, wishing for the class to end. It was the last class of the day, and she couldn't wait to leave. It was painful to listen to Quirrell stutter for hours on end. She glanced around at the rest of the class.

As usual, Pansy wasn't paying attention; instead, she was whispering to Daphne, and the two of them shot her glances often. It wasn't too hard to guess what they were talking about. Nagini looked away from them, and her eyes fell on Theo to her right. He was staring in fascination at the lizard and was jotting down every word that Quirrell said. Next to him, Blaise was leaning back in his chair, carelessly scrawling notes in his notebook. In front of them, Draco was taking notes silently while Crabbe and Goyle stared stupidly at the lizard, watching its tongue flick in and out of its mouth, tasting the air around it. Nagini was reminded of the time she herself did that. She was amazed at how many things she could taste in the air, things she couldn''t even smell as a human.

Nagini raised her hand to scratch her head. Her scalp was tingling, and no matter how much she scratched it, it wouldn't stop. Nagini looked up at the front of the classroom, confused, and the tingling increased. She screwed up her eyes. The tingling had turned to a slight buzzing, and she placed her head against the cool wooden desk.

"You alright?" asked Theo, pausing in his note taking long enough to look over at her in concern. Nagini raised a hand and waved it in response. He shrugged and turned back to his notes. Gradually, the buzzing lessened until it was once again a slight tingling. Whenever she looked up at the front of the room, the tingling increased, so Nagini stared at the parchment in front of her as she took notes. The sensation in her head didn't hurt, but it was very distracting, and Nagini found herself getting very annoyed at whatever was causing it.

She sighed in relief as the bell sounded, signaling the end of class. Theo came to stand beside her. "You sure you're okay?" he asked.

She nodded with a tight smile. "I'm sure," she replied. "Let's go," she added, gathering up her things. The two boys followed her out of the classroom, and Nagini breathed easier once she was in the corridor. The tingling stopped suddenly. Hopefully, that was the end of it, thought Nagini, but she knew somehow that she wouldn't be that lucky.

Just before eleven on Saturday morning, Nagini found herself half-stumbling, half-dragged out of the castle doors and across the grounds to the Quidditch pitch. She pretended to glare at Theo, who was holding tight to her arm and was pulling her along. "I''m not going to run off, you know," she said sighing.

He looked at her sideways. "You're not, are you?" he asked in disbelief. "Blaise," he continued looking over Nagini to where Blaise was walking beside her. "Who was it who said she wouldn't go to a Quidditch game unless she was dragged there?""

"Nagini," he answered, laughter dancing in his eyes.

"Why, that's right," said Theo, pretending to be surprised then turned to Nagini. "So, you'll see why I don't exactly trust you to not run off."

Nagini rolled her eyes. "I did agree to come," she reminded him. And she had.

Theo nodded, grinning. "That you did, and now we're making sure you do. C'mon!" He began walking faster, and Nagini almost tripped over a rock as she was pulled forward.

"Remind me why I'm here, again?" she asked once they took their places in the stands.

Theo grinned at her. "Because Quidditch is the best sport there is."

"To support your house team," drawled Blaise.

"Says the boy who is the living and breathing definition of house spirit," replied Nagini sarcastically, looking at him with raised eyebrows. Blaise smirked at her, and Theo laughed.

"You'll love it, Nagini," he told her. "You''ll see."

Nagini highly doubted that, but she smiled and nodded anyways. She, personally, thought that watching a game of Quidditch would be a waste of an afternoon, especially when no one knew how long the game would even last, and she had originally said she wouldn't go. However, Theo raised a storm of protests. Finally, when he said that the entire school would be going, she raised her hand to stop him. "Fine, I'll go," she said, and he punched the air in triumph. It was the fact that she would be the only one not going to the match that changed her mind. She remembered her father telling her to blend in, and not going to the Quidditch match, especially when her own house was playing, was definitely the opposite of blending in. So, that was how Nagini found herself dragged down to the Quidditch pitch and to the stands on the cold Saturday morning.

Down on the field, fourteen players in robes of red for Gryffindor and green for Slytherin gathered around Madam Hooch, who was acting as referee. Madam Hooch brought the whistle to her lips and blew it hard. Fifteen brooms rose high into the air, and the game was on. Nagini wrapped her silver and green scarf more tightly around her neck, half-listening to the commentary as she watched the players zoom by in scarlet and emerald blurs. Nagini''s eyes darted back and forth across the pitch as Blaise quietly explained the rules of the game to her while Theo cheered loudly every time Slytherin gained possession of the Quaffle.

Nagini had to admit; the excitement was infectious, and she found herself clapping with the rest of the Slytherins every time one of their Chasers scored. Out of the corner of her eye, Nagini saw Theo smirking knowingly at her, and she knew he would be giving her grief about it later, but at that moment Nagini didn't particularly care. She was enjoying the match.

About a half hour into the match, the two Seekers (Potter and Terrence Higgins) dived after the Golden Snitch fluttering below them. Nagini held her breath like the rest of the stands. Potter was in the lead, but when he was a foot from the Snitch, an emerald blur rammed into him, knocking him away.

"Foul!" screamed the Gryffindor section of the stands while the Slytherins around Nagini cheered the actions of team captain, Marcus Flint. Gryffindor received a penalty shot for the Gryffindors, much to their delight and the Slytherins'' chagrin.

"So—after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating—" cried Lee Jordon, the Gryffindor commentator.

"Jordan!" shouted McGonagall.

"I mean, after that open and revolting foul—"

"Jordan, I'm warning you—"

"All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinnet, who puts it away no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor in possession.""

"Not very impartial, is he?" commented Nagini to Theo, who was shouting at Jordan with the rest of Slytherin.

"Course not," he replied in disgust. "Bloody Gryffindors. All of them," he gestured, "students and teachers want Gryffindor to win. Everyone hates Slytherin."

"We stand alone, then," said Nagini wryly.

"We stand alone," repeated Theo. "How true that is."

A few minutes later, Nagini's attention was caught by something high above the other players. "Look at that," she pointed, nudging Theo and Blaise. High above the field, Potter''s broom was jerking and twitching. Suddenly his broom started to roll over, and other people began to point.

From behind them, Draco laughed with Crabbe and Goyle. "Potter can't even control his own broomstick," he said, chortling. Nagini squinted, trying to see better but didn''t have much luck.

Blaise pointed his binoculars at the scene. "He's going to fall off," he informed them, and sure enough Potter was swung off the broom. He hung from it with only one hand as the crowd gasped and watched fearfully. "What's going on?" murmured Nagini. She didn't know much about brooms, but she was sure they weren't supposed to throw their riders off. Just then a commotion from the teachers' stand drew her gaze. She grabbed the binoculars from Blaise and pointed them across the stands. Professor Snape was standing on his seat, swatting at the blue flames that ate at his robes. Below him, Quirrell was getting to his feet from where he'd been knocked down. He raised his head and looked up at Potter. Nagini redirected the binoculars to see Potter clamber back on his broom and speed toward the ground. He fell onto the field and coughed. A small gold ball fell into his hands.

Nagini handed the binoculars back to Blaise, glancing at the teachers' stand as she did so. That was strange, she thought to herself. Down below on the field, Marcus Flint was complaining at the top of his lungs. "He didn't catch it, he nearly swallowed it." But it didn''t make a difference. Gryffindor had won by one hundred and seventy points to sixty. Theo was still complaining about on their way back to the castle, but Nagini was barely listening. She didn't particularly care who had won the match (besides, it was an excellent catch). Nagini was more interested in what had happened just before the end. Someone had cursed Potter's broomstick. Why, she wondered, and who started the fire in the teachers'' stand? Was it to help or hinder?

Nagini was barely paying attention to where she was going, and so when someone pushed her from behind, she couldn't stop herself from falling to the ground. "You alright?" Theo asked her stretching out a hand to help her up.

"Yeah," muttered Nagini, glaring after Pansy and her gang. She was tired of the other girl's attitude, and she would no longer simply ignore her, no matter how much attention she brought upon herself. She would not allow Pansy to treat her the way the muggle orphans did. Nagini then turned to the two boys, her eyes gleaming.

"Uh-oh," said Theo, seeing the look in her eyes. "This can't be good.""

Nagini smiled. "It's not. For Pansy at least. Will you two help me?"

"Help you with what exactly?" asked Blaise carefully.

"Help me make Pansy's life a living hell. Someone needs to put her in her place."

"And that someone is you?" asked Theo, crossing his arms. Nagini shrugged.

"It might as well be. Are you two in?"

Theo and Blaise scrutinized her. "Depends," answered Theo finally. "What exactly are you planning?"

"I don't know yet," answered Nagini truthfully. When they looked at each other, Nagini hurriedly added, "At least, be my alibi if I need one."

They thought about it for a moment before turning back to her and nodding.

Nagini smiled brightly. "Perfect! Pansy won't know what hit her."

Theo and Blaise just looked at each other, shaking their heads, and Nagini rolled her eyes at them. "Oh, come on, you know you like my idea," she said. "And you''ll like it even more when Pansy sets her sights on you two. She's downright irritating, and you'll want to help just to spite her."

"Probably," admitted Theo, a sheepish grin on his face, and Nagini laughed.

~Kasyntra