The Rise of Harry Potter

Harry watched the snake with a small smile, it seemed that the python triggered a chain reaction. Reptiles and similar snakes rose and jumped to attention. The reptile house was filled with the growing crescendo of rattlers and hisses and whispering voices.

Dudley and his friends ran, screaming at the glass enclosures which miraculously remained in tact. Vernongrabbed his wife and fled, with a muffled cry of, "no more of this freakish nonsense!"

Harry was left alone, in the growing din whispers while a few rattlesnakes prodded their glass walls curiously.

"Not open?" One whispered, muffled through the glass.

A coiled pit viper cackled something happily and danced on its synthetic plants. A large cobra flared it's hood and rambled out a series of words conveying its frustration.

"Not free? No sad, still funny." The voice behind him hissed again, humor in its tone. "Thank, magic hatchling."

"What?" Harry blurted, blinking and not feeling the specific accent that he'd had before. "What?" He repeated.

The snake pulled back, flickering it's tongue timidly "you speak?"

"Er, hello?" Harry offered, spotting it's dark scales and bright slit eyes, "How do you know it was me?"

The snake wavered, unsure yet interested. "You stay. They flee." The snake pulled out further and raised itself. It wasn't very big. "You magic, make things."

Harry nodded slightly. "I have magic. But most people don't know about it. How do you know?"

The snake paused, stiffening as if it was trying to comprehend the words, "I den with magic. Make prey make happy."

Harry frowned, "you were born with magic?" He struggled, not used to extended verbal interaction.

The snake slid further out onto a sandy rock, it looked at Harry enthusiastically, "den-mates magic. Humans, make prey."

Harry smiled a fraction and touched the glass, looking at the creature with slight awe. "I don't live with people that have magic. My family does- I mean did. I don't live with them anymore." Harry swallowed, "They're gone because it's not safe. But I don't think I'm safe here either."

"Hatchlings left. Den-mates left, alone too." The snake offered, ducking its head slowly, "Alone in box."

Harry frowned at the snake, "you lived with wizards? Was it dangerous?"

"No bite! No human prey." The snake flicked it's tongue wildly, "some human nice. Some cruel."

Harry nodded slowly, "some humans are cruel too. And some try but they just-" Harry ignored the lump in his throat "sometimes they have to leave you. Sometimes they don't care and sometimes they forget."

"Magic human sad."

"No, no I'm not-"

"Sad too." It quietly added.

Its scales were very small. A mixture of dark brown or black, its eyes were alert.

"Harry," the boy offered, "my name is Harry."

The snake flicked it's tongue, "magic child Harry. Den-mate Harry?" It mused, voice wavering with as much hope and hesitant longing as it could disguise.

"I-" Harry stumbled, shifting backwards and looking towards the entrance to the reptile house, "I can't-"

"Oh," it stated quietly, shifting down and curling around tightly. The action revealed just how small the snake really was, "I okay. Stay in box." It soothed.

Harry looked at it, wavering and watching as it crumpled into something mournfully sad. "I'm sorry."

"No. No sorry." The snake argued, "expected. No sorry. I have box."

Harry winced slightly and the snake seemed determined now to prove him wrong.

"Look, I-"

"I have box. Heat and cold prey sometimes. Space!" It urged, thrashing out its tail, narrowly avoiding the walls.

Harry swallowed and touched the glass once again. He was only partly speaking to the little snake now. "You're the first thing interested in talking to me. Normally it's my brother. Normally I'm the one saying it's okay..."

'But is it really?' That doubting little voice asked. 'Has it ever been okay?'

Harry's eyes narrowed and his hand curled into a sudden fist, heart hardening in resolve. "It doesn't matter because they don't care."

He eyed the snake through the glass, suddenly relaxing. He felt a sudden longing that was easy to place. He had something in common with this little snake. They'd both been abandoned by their families, cast aside like they were worthless.

Harry's insides twisted and he wasn't sure what exactly he was feeling.

....

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