THE SLYTHERIN'S SERPENT

Daphne was feeling exhausted. She had just spent the day completing multiple assignments for Potions, Transfiguration and Charms. Her left arm and back ached considerably, after having spent multiple hours hunched over on her desk, filling parchment after parchment with answers and essays. As she changed out of her robes into her pyjamas, thoughts of one Harry Potter filled her head. She hadn't seen him for dinner that night, or the previous night, or the night before that.

He must be serving detention with Snape, she thought. She was probably going to meet him tomorrow, however. The Slytherins and the Gryffindors had combined Potions tomorrow.

She got into her bed and made herself comfortable. Just as she was about to close her eyes, the door to the dormitory burst open.

"THERE YOU ARE! I've been looking for you for the past thirty minutes! It's not even midnight yet, why are you already going to sleep, Daph?!" screamed a girl.

Tracey Davis, Daphne's roommate, classmate and best friend. Daphne was a person with a cold exterior. She was rude, snarky and cold to everyone who tried to approach her. There were very few people who had managed to penetrate the rock hard shell that Daphne's 'Ice Queen' persona was. Only three, in fact. And Tracey was one of them. It was probably due to the fact that Daphne and Tracey had been friends long before coming to Hogwarts.

"I'm tired, Tracey. Let me sleep." said Daphne, as she turned and pulled a blanket over her head.

"Oh you're SO boring. Come on, let's talk pleeeease! I haven't seen you all day…" Tracey pouted, her glasses slipping on her nose.

"What the hell is wrong with you? We're both in the same class and we're roommates on top of that. We see each other all day every day."

"Oh shut up. Now tell me about that letter you got in the mail today. I couldn't ask you about it earlier."

"Well, that was from Astoria. She told me she's been well… and I should stop worrying…"

Tracey's demeanour changed entirely. Her face sombered and she settled beside Daphne in her bed. She put a hand on Daphne's shoulder and said, "We'll figure out a way, Daph. I know we will."

But Daphne knew it wasn't going to be easy. The Greengrass bloodline was cursed. One random member from every generation of the family contracted an ancient blood curse. A curse that would shorten the lifespan of the affected person considerably. Her Aunt Agnes had been affected by it, and she had died at the age of 26, when Daphne was barely 5 years old. And now, her sister Astoria was affected by it.

She remembered the day she had found out. She had had a row with her father, demanding why Astoria of all was cursed. Why did her little sister have to die? Why her sweet Astoria? Daphne loved her sister more than anything and the news of the blood curse had nearly ripped her heart in two. She had donned a mask of emotionlessness since that day and vowed to find a cure.

"Tracey, I'll try my best but… what if I'm unable to… what if Astoria ends up dying?" Daphne's voice trailed off into a whisper.

Tracey squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "We won't let that happen. I'll help you. We'll save Astoria, okay?"

"Why did it have to be her? Why not me?" asked Daphne to no one in particular.

"It's not your fault. It's nobody's fault. We can't focus on that, we must fi-"

"I know! But I can't get it out of my head. I know I shouldn't feel guilty, but I do. I feel like I've failed as her elder sister… I've failed to protect her."

"You've failed at nothing, Daph. You're a great sister. And I promise you, we'll save Astoria." Tracey pulled Daphne into a tight hug. Daphne shook her head slightly. Tears had begun to well up in her eyes. She hated being this vulnerable, but was thankful Tracey was there for her.

After a moment, Daphne pulled away and wiped her eyes and said, "Erm, I'm sorry for that."

Tracey beamed at her. "I wonder what everyone will think of the Ice Queen crying like a normal person. Ooooh-" she couldn't complete her sentence as her face was suddenly hit by a pillow.

"You tell anyone what happened tonight, Davis, and you're dead. Being my best friend won't spare you." threatened Daphne. But her voice hold any malice.

"I'll go take a shower, you wanna join me?" Tracey smiled mischievously.

"Leave. Right now. Run fast, Davis." said Daphne, shooting the other girl a disgusted look.

"Hah, you love me." Tracey winked at Daphne and left the room.

Daphne felt relieved after talking to Tracey. She was the only person who could calm her down and comfort her. She was also the only person in front of whom Daphne could be vulnerable. Daphne trusted her a lot and felt content knowing she had an ally as loyal as Tracey by her side.

Astoria, I'll save you. Daphne's resolve was unwavering. Her thoughts were filled with memories of Astoria and her having fun, from when they didn't know of her curse. She smiled to herself, as she drifted off to sleep.

The next day, Daphne went about her day as usual. She submitted all her assignments to her professors, made notes during classes and studied the topics taught in the Common Room. Her words to her peers were carefully chosen, as usual. After her breakdown from the night before, she seemed colder than usual, in a bid to make herself forget about it. After all, it wasn't very suitable for the heiress of House Greengrass to appear exposed.

Dinner in the Great Hall was business as usual. The buzz of students chattering away and the aroma of the freshly cooked food filled the atmosphere. Daphne sat at one end of the Slytherin table, Tracey right by her side. She seemed to be gossiping about something, but Daphne wasn't paying attention. She looked up from her plate and stared across the Great Hall towards the Gryffindor table. There, she saw Potter staring at her with an indecipherable expression on his face. As soon as he noticed her, he quickly turned his eyes towards his friends instead. Weasley and Granger seemed to be arguing about something, as always.

Daphne wondered, What's up with him? She decided to deal with that later, as she had a more important task at hand - feeding Basil.

Basil was Daphne's pet snake. She was a black mamba, barely a few inches long. Daphne had to be incredibly cautious carrying her around, as snakes weren't allowed as pets in Hogwarts. It was stated clearly in her Hogwarts letter before her first year, but she didn't care much for it. While shopping for school supplies that year, she had stumbled upon Basil in the Magical Menagerie. The snake had looked so adorable that Daphne simply couldn't ignore her. Her father didn't hesitate in buying Basil for her, especially after their little squabble. The name 'Basil' was a nod towards the Basilisk, the King of Serpents. It was also a nod towards her favourite pasta sauce - pesto.

She had managed to keep Basil a secret from everyone in school that year, with the exception of Tracey. Daphne quickly looked around, to make sure nobody was looking, and grabbed a small piece of chicken, swiftly stuffing it in her robes. She felt Basil move around in her robes and gobble the chicken right up. While black mambas are known to be incredibly venomous, Basil didn't seem to harbour any ill intent towards Daphne.

After dinner, Daphne stayed back for some time to catch Potter and talk to him for a bit. It was the first night she'd seen him after the disaster that was the Duelling Club, after all.

As she was waiting in a hallway in front of the Great Hall, waiting for Potter's departure, she felt somebody behind her. Panicking, she quickly reached for her wand but was stopped by the anonymous person grabbing her hand. She was escorted towards an empty classroom, where she finally felt the hands grabbing her go slack. She quickly turned around, feeling enraged at being dragged here for no reason, when she saw a pair of emerald green eyes.

"Potter? Why did you bring me here?" asked Daphne, all her anger fading.

"Oh, I just wanted to ask some questions. I finally got some free time today, after all those detentions." said Potter, shrugging sheepishly.

"You could've just asked me to come, I wouldn't say no to you." said Daphne.

"So could you, but you don't."

"Hmm, fair."

"Show it to me." commanded Potter.

"Show what to you?" asked Daphne, confused.

"Your snake, show it to me." repeated Potter, taking a step closer.

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about." Daphne was shocked. How could Potter have known about Basil? She had kept her existence a closely guarded secret. There were no slip-ups!

"I saw it in the Duelling Club. I won't tell anyone, I swear. I just want to see it." said Potter.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Potter. Quit bothering me now." said Daphne, clearly not sure of Potter's intentions.

"Please, trust me. I won't tell anyone about it." said Harry, making a face at her. A face that resembled that of a sad puppy. Why is this face so… compelling?

"...Fine, but you HAVE to promise me that you'll never tell anyone about this. Not even your friends, Weasley and Granger." demanded Daphne.

"I promise."

Daphne sighed and opened her robes slightly, giving Basil enough space to slither out.

"Wow, it's beautiful…" whispered Potter, as he saw Basil slither out onto her shoulder and tangle up in her hair.

"She, the snake's a girl. Her name's Basil." said Daphne, proudly.

"Basil is such a suitable name for her. May I touch her?" asked Potter, bringing his hand towards Daphne's hair.

"No! Basil is a black mamba, they're extremely venomous. You could die within hours, if bitten. Stay away-" Daphne couldn't finish her sentence, as she saw Basil crawl across her shoulder and onto Harry's hand.

"Potter, put Basil down. She might bite you! Please, I don't want you getting hurt-"

But Potter wasn't listening. He looked at Basil and began hissing softly. She felt a chill go down her spine. Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw Basil nod at Potter and hiss in return. Potter was a Parselmouth.

"You're a Parselmouth! So the rumours were true! I saw you do something to the snake during the Duelling Club but I wasn't too sure, since I was in the back. Wow, why didn't you say anything?"

"Er, I didn't know."

"You didn't know."

"I swear I didn't! Ron had to tell me that talking to snakes isn't something every wizard can do. And apparently, a lot of dark wizards in history have been Parselmouths…" muttered Potter.

"Who cares? You can talk to snakes! That is incredibly fascinating, regardless of what anyone says." asserted Daphne. She didn't want Potter to feel ashamed of his special ability.

"Thanks." said Potter, flashing a smile at her.

"What did you ask Basil?"

"I just asked her if she could understand me. She nodded."

"Could you ask her what she thinks of me?"

"Sure, why not?" Potter proceeded to hiss again while looking at Basil. She hissed back.

I do hope Basil approves of me as an owner, thought Daphne, apprehensively.

"Wow, Basil likes you a lot. She says you've been a great owner to her so far and she is chuffed about spending time with you."

Daphne breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm glad to know that. Thank you, Basil." She petted the snake, who coiled around her hand.

"Basil is marvellous. Do you think we could meet some other time so I could talk to her? It's really cool speaking in Parseltongue." asked Potter. He seemed excited.

Daphne nodded in affirmation. She could see no downside to this and meeting Potter more often was certainly a plus in her books.

"Awesome! I'll see you later then. We don't want to get caught outside curfew, right?"

"Right. Goodnight Potter, find me after dinner whenever you want to talk to Basil. Make sure you're not followed." said Daphne, as she turned on her heel and left.

A Parselmouth, huh. That ability of his could very well come in handy. Daphne thought, as she hurried back to her Common Room. Tracey would have her head if she delayed any further.

Daphne and Potter occasionally met over the next few weeks after dinner. She found out more about Basil via Potter. He was very happy talking to Basil, which intrigued Daphne. The conversations would sometimes go towards Daphne's personal life. Potter wanted to know more, but she wasn't willing to give in, not yet at least. Not until he opened up to her, first. There were many things about Potter's life that she didn't know. What did he do during the holidays? Did he have any friends outside of Hogwarts? Why doesn't he act all high and mighty like the Malfoys, considering his family was probably one of the wealthiest in Britain? What was his life like before Hogwarts? She was itching to ask those questions, but felt she shouldn't push him. She'd have to give him time to adjust to her presence. And until that happened, Daphne wasn't inclined to spill anything.

It was raining on a Friday night, when Daphne was pacing the hallway near the Great Hall after dinner. It was going to be curfew soon, but Potter was nowhere to be found. They didn't specifically talk about meeting that day, but Potter always informed her when he couldn't make it. It was unusual of him to just not show up like that, without any prior notice.

She had looked in a few empty classrooms that they had used for previous meetings, but they were empty. She was about to give up and go back to her Common Room when she realised, I haven't checked the room where we first met!

And thus, Daphne sprinted to the room which had once housed the Mirror of Erised. While running, she put Basil back into her robes to make sure she didn't fall. Finally, she arrived in front of a large wooden door. She pushed it, and it opened with a rather loud scraping noise. Bingo, there he is.

Potter was laying down on one of the tables in the corner of the room, his Invisibility Cloak resting by his feet. He didn't pay heed to Daphne when she approached him.

"You shouldn't disappear like that, you know." began Daphne.

"Sorry," said Potter, "I didn't want to talk to anyone today."

"A Knut for your thoughts?" asked Daphne.

"Everyone seems to think I'm the Heir of Slytherin! Because I happen to be a Parselmouth. Finch-Fletchley, that bloke from Hufflepuff has been telling stories about me to everyone who wasn't present! He's telling them all that I commanded Malfoy's snake to attack him! It's all a load of tosh!" Potter continued his rant.

He told her how everyone seems to be on edge around him. How everyone looks away in disgust when he's around. Even his best friends, Granger and Weasley seem to be slightly wary of him. It clearly irritated Potter and today was the last straw, when even Professor Snape had commented on his newly acquired infamy.

"Yes, I have been hearing a lot of rumours about you. About you being the Heir of Slytherin, that is." said Daphne.

"You believe them too, don't you? You think I killed Filch's cat?" asked Potter, dejectedly.

Daphne obviously knew that Potter would never kill someone, or something. So she said, "No, I don't believe the rumours. I don't think you are the kind to do such deeds."

Daphne inched closer to Potter's face and said, "But I can see why someone would mistake you for the Heir of Slytherin."

"How so?" asked Potter, unfazed.

"Your eyes," she said, as if stating a fact.

Harry seemed incredulous. "My… eyes?"

"Yes," Daphne stared right into Potter's eyes and said, "They're such a rich shade of emerald… such piercing, deep eyes… When someone looks at you, it's as if you're staring right into their soul…"

Potter gulped, his cheeks starting to redden. Daphne had to fight the urge to smirk.

"And before you know it… you're DEAD!" she shouted the last word loudly, startling Potter.

Daphne fell down in a fit of laughter after seeing Potter's shocked face.

"Alright, you're very funny. Haha. Now get up." said Potter, an amused smile on his face.

Yes, I've managed to cheer him up!

"It's true, you know. Your eyes really are beautiful, I could get lost in them." Daphne's voice trailed off into a whisper, as she looked at Potter. His face began to redden considerably and he suddenly found his Cloak to be exceedingly interesting.

Basil crawled out from Daphne's hair and hissed something, while staring at Potter. When he laughed softly, she asked what the snake had told him.

"She says you're disgusting." said Potter, beaming at her.

Daphne rolled her eyes, as she stuffed Basil back into her robes. "Yes, yes. I'm disgusting, now back in you go."

Daphne had managed to improve Potter's mood. He didn't seem as concerned about what others thought of him and she helped him by giving him some advice on how to have a stoic exterior. Potter seemed appreciative of her efforts, and smiled in return.

He does have a cute smile, she thought.

Potter dropped Daphne off at the Slytherin Common Room's entrance, as he did the first time they had met. It was well past the curfew and Potter didn't want her to get caught, so he insisted they both use the Cloak. This time, however, he seemed considerably relaxed in such close proximity to her. He was beginning to feel at ease around her! Daphne considered this to be successful.

As he was about to put his Cloak back on, Daphne planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

"W-what was that for?" asked Potter, his face redder than a tomato.

"For escorting me back to my Common Room. You're such a gentleman. Goodnight, now." smiled Daphne, turning around and entering the portrait.

That was fun, she thought to herself. She felt smugly satisfied, having made Potter blush twice in one day. It was an eventful day for her, one she'd not forget for a while.

Author's Note-

*Daphne flirts with Harry*

Daphne: This one sparks joy.

*Tracey flirts with Daphne*

Daphne: THIS ONE DOES NOT SPARK JOY