Harper and I intuitively look at each other.
For one, because we were almost dying in the Room of Requirement when I learned to control my snake-shaped Fiendfyre ... Perhaps also because it led to her falling around my neck for the first time ...
In exuberant euphoria. Perfect. The perfect moment in my not-quite-perfect life, in full possession of my magical abilities and with her close ...
But I'd guess we're also staring at each other because she's developed a phobia ever since the incident with my insane uncle and his snakes. Yethere she is, facing three heads at once in front of her.
"Who knows more about this creature? Yes, Rouvenia!"
"Runespoors originally come from Burkina Faso. They're not particularly dangerous, but their orange and black striped bodies and obviously their three heads make them extremely popular pets."
"Among black wizards and Slytherins, perhaps," Raymond mutters loud enough for everyone to hear.
Eric gives him a warning glance at these words.
"What?" Ray shrugs, seemingly offended.
"Stop badmouthing Slytherin all the time!" Leonora, as his sister, surely voices exactly what's going through Eric's mind.
Elliott's grin at that is absurd as he offers her his hand, and it's an unbearable amount of kitsch.
Normally, I'd be somewhat happy for him.
But that is not the case.
I don't feel a thing.
Dean, however, seems willing to distract me from that very fact. Of course, he can't resist to add, "But it's quite true – bet Riddle wouldn't say no to a pet like that."
You have no idea, I think to myself. Harper all but snorts all while keeping a close eye on the snakes.
"Right, Sully?" Dean pushes it, but she just shakes her head, looking up at me for a moment there.
"He's more likely to keep a giant Cerberus one day, Dean," she says. "And might meet you on your evening stroll – so don't run your mouth too full ..."
I almost have to smile at the thought of how Echidna would probably make him faint in horror, and Harper might imagine something of similar nature – yet it makes her frown.
"Well, well, let's be nice to each other, shall we?" Kettleburn claps his hands, visibly enjoying his lesson. "Rouvenia, do you know anything else you'd like to share with us?"
"Yes, Professor," she acidly claims. "If only our esteemed Gryffindors could keep from insulting Tom and me for nothing but our House affiliation?" Dean and Raymond nod in an overly friendly manner and roll their eyes, but Rouvenia already continues. "Unlike all other beasts known in magical zoology, Runespoors lay eggs through their mouths. These eggs are popular for use in potions, as they are said to support the mind in its sharpness. Scamander also describes inFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Themthat each of the three heads has its own task. One head is responsible for planning, another for dreaming and a third usually criticises incessantly. So it's not uncommon for the heads to argue a lot, which ultimately leads to the decapitation of the head that is mostly criticising."
"Bravo, ten house points!" Kettleburn shouts, encouraging the class to clap along.
"As a Slytherin, you know all about snakes, of course," Raymond grumbles, earning an elbow in his side from Leonora.
"But how do we know what's going on in their heads?" Elliott asks.
"A good question, Mr Bryant," Kettleburn praises and proceeds to look around. "Who of you has a theory as to how the world of magic acquired this knowledge? Rouvenia?"
"No, sir, I'm afraid I'm not entirely sure."
"Mr Riddle?"
I give him a wan smile and shake my head – because even if I knew for certain that I wouldn't answer in Parsel with a snake right here, it would be pretty stupid to even suggest I was overly informed about this phenomenon.
"Come on, don't leave me hanging," Kettleburn laughs, leaning towards the Runespoor that is still confused from its stay in the box. "Does Ravenclaw possibly know the answer? Mr Hornby?"
Dean shakes his head, obviously miffed at the missed opportunity to get ahead of me.
"Ms Sullivan?"
Harper swallows and looks at the snake as if she's thinking about how she nearly choked on poison bites, but she, too, denies an answer.
She obviously doesn't want to poke anyone at Parsel either, even if she realises best of all that that's the answer – especially now that the heads are starting to hiss.
"Finally out of this box, I had a dream that we would be here –"
"Of course you had, you're always dreaming – that's all you ever do!"
The whole class stares at the forest ground in fascination, Kettleburn nods as though he wants us all to try to understand ...
"Why don't we plan our escape? Then we'll never have to go back into the box!"
"The mad professor won't let us escape, that's a terrible plan – we'll just end up sooner in the box again!"
"Do you hear that?" Kettleburn's eyes widen. "As if they were talking!"
"Then we'll have to be clever! We approach someone and cause chaos, and then –"
"They'll kill us!"
"Oh, shut up, we at least have to try!"
The professor looks up at us. "Well, does anyone have an idea how Scamander got his findings?"
"Do you smell that, by the way? That ... blood?"
My heart skips a beat, and maybe another, as the three heads turn towards me, one by one.
"You! Do you understand what we're saying?"
I frown, much like I did with Viper at Christmas ...
"Bollocks! I don't smell anything! You'd better look out for someone who's scared of us!"
"Like that someone's so hard to find …"
The three of them seem to smell Harper's fear as well as my blood. And with that, their plan unfolds.
"Follow me!"The Runespoor starts to move and Harper literally freezes before intuitively taking a step back, shaking her head.
"Oh, Ms Sullivan!" Kettleburn rejoices and follows the animal in amusement. "Someone likes you!"
"No, definitely not," she protests and dodges the line of the snakes with a large step to the side. However, the Runespoor promptly turns with her.
"Oh, yes it's true," Black laughs out immediately, "see, snakes of all kind just love you, Sully!"
"If I were you, I wouldn't risk a curse from your Prefect for such innuendos," Eric murmurs and winks at me.
Still, a few people laugh and look from Harper to me in turn, but neither she nor I respond to that right now. Everyone seems to completely miss how frantically she's already backing away from the snakes.
"Take it easy, Ms Sullivan," Kettleburn says, but she quickens her steps more and more – as if it's just a physical reaction caused by the mere memory of Little Hangleton and its storm.
"Faster, we'll scare her and then flee into the woods!"
Harper has – whether intuitively or by chance – run backwards in a semicircle until she's almost next to Rouvenia and me – and I simply can't watch any longer.
Forced to do so wordlessly, I step in and walk in front of Harper, who promptly stops, startled, probably like everyone else, when I catch the Runespoor from the ground. I stand up with it and then exchange a dark glance with all three pairs of eyes, one after the other.
"Can't you smell that?"
"What should we smell?"
"Well, his blood!"
"Oh, stop it!"
"Mr Riddle," Kettleburn exclaims in raw amazement, "I didn't know you were so good with magical creatures since the holidays!"
"It must be my good influence ..." Rouvenia surmises while also staring at me.
Just like everyone else does.
"Let's scare him!"
I look at the planning head and raise my brow as inconspicuously as I can.
"He understands! Can't you see? He understands!"
"Shut up, he's scary …"
"All of a sudden, you've got nothing to complain about, huh?"
"Tom," Rouvenia almost whispers. "May I hold it, too? Do you think they bite?"
I tilt my head and glare at the three of them.
"Surely that's a warning? He wants us to obey …"
"We will! I promise!"
I turn towards Rouvenia and hand her the Runespoor, shaking my head in response.
"This is so exciting," she says and giggles as the animal wraps itself around her arm with absolutely no malice.
"I want to hold it, too," Leonora chuckles and approaches slowly, to not frighten the Runespoor.
Soon, a cluster forms around the two of them and everyone watches the three-headed snake with fascination – except for Harper.
"Are you all right?" she's asked by Myrtle. "Did you know Tom would keep the snake off you?"
Harper's and my eyes meet at these words, but she just replies, "Pure intuition ... But I'm fine, Myrtle, thanks."
"While you're examining the beast so eagerly," Kettleburn cheerfully draws attention to himself again, "let's solve the mystery. Runespoors are particularly popular as pets among Parselmouths, people who can talk to snakes – such as Salazar Slytherin, or his direct heirs. And it was through them that Scamander learnt about the three quarrelling heads."
When Myrtle finally joins the others and the snakes, listening to the professor's lecture, I take my chance and approach Harper.
"Thank you," she simply whispers without even looking at me.
"Don't thank me, I'm to blame for your fear," I dismiss her just as quietly, while the others are completely distracted.
"You're not," she sighs. "You truly have enough to reflect on, but surely not this." She takes a deep breath, then hums, "And don't forget the meeting in the Room of Requirement today –"
"I won't be there, Harper, I –"
Shaking her head, she turns towards me so that only I can hear her. "No, that's enough, Tom! Maybe I gave up for a moment this morning, but I did some soul-searching. Enough of everything you're doing in the dark! You'll be there. All right? Because whenever I lose sight of you, you kill yourself a little more and I won't let that happen any longer. I really have tried with the patience of the saints for good. I held your freezing cold body last night so it wouldn't turn to dust and I really thought you'd regained some common sense when you woke up alive this morning, but –"
"Keep your voice down," I moan and pull her a little further into the forest, away from the others, so that she can at least get angry without their attention.
"If you're not in the Room where I can see you this afternoon, and if you're not where Elliott is tonight, I swear I'll go straight to him and tell him everything. I know where it is, and Elliott is great at finding things fast. We'll discover the entrance to that bloody chamber, Tom, you bet your life we will. And if we have to whistle up your monster and ride her through the pipes to save you from this madness, we'll do just that!"
"Forget about that, Harper," I growl, "do I have to curseyourmouth off now?"
"Do try," she hisses.
"You'll be standing in front of closed gates even with him. You'd have to speak Parsel to get anywhere near –"
"You think I can't imitate the hissing sounds that nearly killed me? It's really burnt into my head, and something about it will sound similar enough to open said gate –"
"Don't you dare, Harper, I'm warning you –"
"No, I'm warningyou. You'll be there this afternoon. Otherwise you'll have us on your back in the catacombs. Do we understand each other?"
"You're afraid of a Runespoor! Do you have any idea how small that is compared to –"
"I haven't hurt my head, I can well imagine how huge dear Echidna –"
"Then your plan is clearly cancelled!"
"No, don't you worry," she whispers, darkly intent. "I'll grit my teeth for you and overcome my fear."
What is meant to sound so cynical is actually nothing more than a loving, verbal slap in the face.
"You're only putting yourself and Elliott in unnecessary danger," I reply stoically and can literally feel my jaw tighten.
"Says the lunatic that wants to tear his soul apart, even though it means he has to attend classes half dead!"
This is the worst possible scenario ever. Harper has to stay away, so does Elliott. For two more rituals, otherwise –
"Also, it's Rouvenia's birthday wish that you show us how to evaporate into smoke and fly. Don't disappoint everyone around you, if you please!"