Yo! It's been quite a while. A fair bit's changed since I posted that last AN nearly nine months ago. This update is not a full update, but I didn't want to put up a third AN chapter in a row and don't have the next chapter finished, so I wrote a little backstory for Violet's favourite snake friend, Sauron. It's not super long, but I thought it would give a little insight into what he's been thinking.
As for this fic itself, I'm still working on the next chapter, but it's been slow. I've also been going over the fic and making edits, mostly minor, though I've been adding new scenes here and there. I'm not done with those new scenes though, so the redone chapters aren't posted yet. (Note from future me-as of May 28, 2021, the redone chapters have now all been posted, so feel free to go back and read through this again). Anyway, thank you to all readers so far, and I hope you at least enjoy this mini-update.
Sauron didn't like thinking about his first owner (or human, as he preferred to call him) very much. A quiet sort of man he'd been, hard working and devoted to his family. But they were Dark, this family, and while Sauron himself didn't care for (or really even understand) that sort of thing, it quickly became clear that others did.
There were these humans who were in some sort of group that had something to do with phoenixes. Sauron didn't fully understand why, but this group's leader called for his followers to go after Sauron's human and his family. And those people obeyed.
One by one the members of his human's family were picked off, and Sauron watched his human despair in each loss, until his human was the last one left.
Sauron had been in the room when his human had been killed. The phoenix leader had done it himself too. It was clear to him that this leader thought he'd dome something good. These Dark humans were dead, and it seemed like that was all that mattered.
Sauron didn't understand. His human had been good to him, had taken care of him. He'd treated Sauron the same way he did the other humans. Maybe he was Dark, but why did that mean he had to die?
Sauron didn't understand the difference between Light and Dark, but he did understand the difference between good and bad.
Dark or not, his human had been good. Light or not, that phoenix leader came across as bad. So why was it treated like it was the other way around? Why was his human bad? Why was Albus Dumbledore good?
Sauron pondered over this as he escaped the house he'd once called home. Knowing he could take care of himself, he lived outside in the wild. He didn't want to be anywhere near these Light people, and while he enjoyed comfort, even this was better than being around them.
Sauron wasn't sure how long he lived like that before he got picked up and taken to some store. He was put in a cage and left for sale like a number of his kin, among other creatures as well.
How pathetic. His human would never have allowed this to happen if he was still alive.
Sauron stayed in that cage for a long, long time. The shop keeper wasn't terrible, but Sauron didn't care much for them either. Nor did he care for his kin. They were all so foolish and ignorant, thinking that they would have perfect lives if only they could get outside.
They had no idea how cruel things really were out there. Frankly, they were better off in here. Besides, if there was one thing Sauron had managed to learn while he'd been with his human, it was that these wizards hated their kind. He didn't expect to get out of here.
And then the girl came in.
Sauron saw her when she came into the store with another girl, saw her get attacked by the orange cat, and dismissed her almost immediately. The human hatchlings rarely ever even approached his kind.
But approach she did.
His kin were arguing and he was quickly (and unsurprisingly) growing irritated. These idiots were probably the only reason he wanted to leave, honestly. And then the girl turned out to be a Speaker.
Sauron was sure he was the most surprised by that, though he didn't show it. He'd never met a Speaker before, but from what he'd learned, Speakers were considered Dark. Well, better than Light, he supposed.
He demanded the girl take him out of there, demanded she give him a name too, and was satisfied with Sauron when she chose it. It was fine. He didn't need the name his human had given him. That version of him had died alongside his human. He was Sauron now, and this girl...she would be his new human.
Violet reminded Sauron of his old human sometimes. She was quiet, like him. And she wasn't as innocent as she looked either, just like his old human. And despite attending the school where he was in charge, Violet didn't seem to care for Dumbledore very much and Sauron was glad for that.
Maybe he and Violet would get along after all.
He was disappointed to see her home, and surprised when she told him she was in that filthy place because her parents had died. He quickly found out why she didn't like Dumbledore either, and while he didn't entirely understand the circumstances, he was glad to have someone else who shared in his hatred.
Sauron didn't ever want to admit it, but the dementors frightened him. His first human had talked about them, Sauron only able to understand some of what was said, but actually seeing them and experiencing their cold despair was very different. It helped that he wasn't the only one who was scared though. He could smell Violet's fear too.
Her magic was strange though, he realized quickly. He didn't understand everything about magic, but this wasn't his first time around someone magical. He knew the humans had different kinds and strengths of magic, mostly from being around his first human and his family, but Violet's magic was different. Sometimes it smelled stronger, sometimes it smelled weaker, and sometimes it changed even as he was noticing one or the other.
He didn't say anything to her though. Really, he thought she already knew about it, because it didn't seem to bother her. And it only lasted into the cold months too. Something happened then-he didn't really know what, but it caused Violet's Theodore friend to have to feed him because Violet couldn't do it herself, But after that, when she got better, her magic seemed...normal. It seemed like his first human's magic, at least in terms of it being more stable. It seemed stronger too.
Another strange thing that happened during the cold months was Sauron discovering the human-rat smell. He'd been exploring the castle when he'd come across it, and he'd tried to follow it, but ended up losing it. The scent was a little older than he'd thought, and it went away before he could track down who or what was behind it.
When found out about the rat-man some months later, he wished he'd tried harder in tracking down the strange scent. Maybe if he had, Violet wouldn't have looked so sad.
She was strange, his human. Stronger than she appeared to be, in more than one way. Also more oblivious sometimes, it seemed. She didn't seem to notice the respect many of the human Snakes were giving and showing her. It was amusing, really. But she would learn, Sauron was sure. She was still just a hatchling, after all.
Still, even though she was just a hatchling, her magic smelled like it was getting stronger by the day. If he had to compare them, Sauron would guess that Violet's magic was already almost as strong has his first human's had been, and his first human certainly hadn't been a hatchling. He had no doubt that Violet was going to surpass his first human, and soon too.
If Sauron was being honest to himself, he couldn't wait. Especially if Violet used that powerful magic against that old fool Dumbledore. Yes, that was going to be the most amusing thing out of it all. Perhaps he would tell Violet what happened to his first human and his family. She would help him in his revenge, he was sure. She was a vindictive little thing, he knew that too.
He knew it was going to be more than a little fun. Sauron could hardly wait for the day they could finally enact that revenge. Hopefully it would be soon.
That's it for now. Again, sorry it's not a proper update. Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!