Notes: The story has been updated so I apologize for some inconsistencies.
A Snake's Message
Harry, Ron, and Hermione returned to the Gryffindor common room just before curfew. Luckily, Professor McGonagall's presence guarded them from any extra trouble. However, the events of the day kept replaying in their minds like an old movie on loop. The dark haired figure bearing an uncanny resemblance to an unpopular teacher tossed around the Defense Against the Dark Arts room by an angry green monster the size of a giant would forever remain in their memory vaults for years to come. Not to mention that his body unnaturally broke the stone floor as if he was physically impervious to solid rock.
"Blimey, that was mad what happened," said Ron, finding a seat next to the common room fireplace,"How can someone just walk away from something like that? And what was that thing? It looked bigger and meaner than a mountain troll," said the redhead asking all the obvious questions.
"I dunno. I've never seen anything like it before," said Hermione shrugging with her arms still crossed uncomfortably. She sat next to Ron while Harry sat in a chair across from them. Hermione had never seen nor read about the monster the boggart replicated, and she couldn't understand why professor Lupin would need an assistant in the first place. The strange man was incompetent and arrogant to say the least. He must have cast some kind of charm to protect himself, she thought, or perhaps Lupin did. His office-like attire perplexed her even more.
"Whatever it was, it seems fair that he would be afraid of it," said Harry, rubbing his hand over his knuckles worrisomely for warmth.
The fire crackled in the background. The flames dancing in the reflection of his circular glasses, overlaid the green planes of his eyes. The events of the day were indeed strange, and he wondered if any of them corresponded to his dream. He hadn't even shared it with his friends. He didn't even know if it was real or not, but he hadn't seen any sign of Cedric, not even in the corridors between classes or in the Grand Hall for meals. He had unfortunately seen Malfoy, and wondered if he played any part in Cedric's sudden disappearance.
"And why would Dumbledore hire an assistant for a professor? I mean … I don't think we've ever had two teachers for a single class," Ron noted, blurting out some of their inner dialogue.
"No, but it's not like the Defense Against the Dark Arts has ever been a stable position. We've had a new teacher every year since we've been here," remarked Hermione.
"Right … " said Ron sitting forward in the chair with his arms resting on his knees, realizing the question may not have been all that helpful. They sat in an unsettling silence for a moment with nothing more than the crackly fireplace for warm company.
"He was an odd bloke, wasn't he?" said Ron returning to his more cheery self.
"He was ... if not for his brown clothes ... I would have mistaken him for Professor Snape," said Hermione honestly.
"Yeah, except he actually uses his face for expressions," joked Ron. They all laughed. Harry relished in this moment as he saw his friends' faces light up with joyous smiles warmed by the light of the fire. He prayed for more moments like these, and hoped for a normal year for once, but feared that may never come true, not while the Dark Lord remained free out there somewhere plotting his demise. Perhaps they could use Mr. Leufeyson's boggart against him, Harry mused playfully in his mind.
Once the trio seemed to have exhausted all inquiries, the exhaustion took them and they went off to bed. Hermione left for the girls dormitory while Ron and Harry left for the boys. The redhead and the chosen one settled in their beds. Harry peeled off his circular glasses and carefully placed them on the nightstand next to him, allowing his mind to rest and eyes flutter shut, but sweet dreams did not visit him that night.
Harry found himself in a quiet, dark corridor of Hogwarts with no windows. The flickering of candlelight and snoring of animated portraits provided the only company. The further he peered down the long hallway, the more the darkness stretched beyond his ability to see any end. The corridor felt eerily familiar, only there was one path forward, no corners to turn nor branches to take, only a single destined path. Suddenly, a slithery long movement along the side of the wall caught his eye. It was a big snake, a python, similar to the one he accidentally let loose on his cousin that one time they visited a zoo. Harry jumped back, but the snake slithered onward slowly, barely noticing him. There were strange markings on the animal not native to its normal species. A consistent pattern of misshapen circles usually stamped its skin, but parts of this pattern broke off to reveal what Harry believed to be symbols.
"Hello?" Harry asked in parseltongue, unsure if the snake was friend or foe. The mysterious animal stopped moving on its journey down the endless corridor to raise its head towards him, finally acknowledging his presence. "Who are you?" Harry asked in the snake language, but the limbless creature just tilted its head in confusion.
"Where are you going?" Harry asked, growing more frustrated, only this time he spoke clear English without knowing, and the snake responded.
"Hjem," it said, which made no sense to the young Gryffindor.
"What?" breathed Harry. The snake turned back to the long corridor and continued its journey into the darkness.
"Wait!" Harry called out and followed it. At the end of the darkness, a gold outline made of light traced itself on the stone wall, creating a door. It opened for the snake and the snake slithered in. Harry hesitated before entering as he put an arm up to shield himself from the harsh light. Carefully stepping forward crossing the threshold from the obscure darkness into the mysterious light. Once through the threshold, the door closed and his eyes adjusted. Harry found himself in a very large room with a high ceiling and tall windows where sunbeams shot through, a blunt contrast to the claustrophobic corridor. Odds and ends cluttered the extensive space with dusty old furniture, mirrors, chandeliers, books, candles, glass, cauldrons, tapestries, pictures, and jewelry. It looked like a place where objects had been dumped and forgotten.
Harry recognized the piles of stuff. He had been here before, except the center of the room had been cleared for a single table, free of any dust. The snake was nowhere to be found, but in its place was someone he did not expect. It was his least favorite Slytherin, in black slacks and a pure white button up shirt, leaning over the table. Harry knew his hair was bleach blonde, but his entire complexion from his face to his shirt to his trousers looked void of all color as if he was trapped in a world of black and white. A piece of unfamiliar jewelry dangled from his neck. His body was so hunched over, he looked as if he was concealing something.
"Malfoy?" Harry dared to ask. The slicked back blondie popped his head up startled. Frantically, he shoved the silver piece of jewelry in his button up before Harry could see it, and raised his wand, guarding the table.
"What happened to Cedric, Malfoy," Harry demanded.
"What's it to you, Potter," Malfoy spat, putting a pouty emphasis on the 'P.' Harry drew his wand expecting a duel when a voice entered the room.
"Do you enjoy hurting people?" it said softly bouncing off the spacious walls of the room. It was a surprisingly calm and gentle voice for asking such a disturbing question. Both Harry and Malfoy kept their wands up while scanning the room.
"What was that?" asked Harry. Draco's breath quickened.
"Making them feel small … making them feel afraid," the voice echoed. Harry thought for sure it was talking to Malfoy, but when he saw the look of terror painted on his face as the blonde Slytherin stared down the thin barrel of his wand, he wasn't so sure.
"You weren't born to be king … " the voice said, shifting to a more sinister tone, growing deeper in pitch. The end of the sentence became muffled and more localized. Malfoy slowly shifted his gaze behind him, revealing a bright, neon orange sphere resting on the table. A rumble shook the room. Some of the smaller, looser objects jingled. The sunbeams from the outside became muddled by smoky fumes. The room quaked again. Dust puffed out from the piles of junk. Malfoy's eyes darted around the room. He looked ready to run. The voice spoke again, far more distorted than its original state.
"You were born to cause pain … and suffering … and DEATH!" it said from the orange sphere.
Harry woke abruptly from the dream gasping for air. He groped around for his glasses and immediately put them on his face. He was back in the Gryffindor dormitory with Ron snoring away in the bed next to him. Harry looked out the window to make sure he was back in his own reality and saw the sun just beginning to shed light on the landscape of Hogwarts.