Chapter 4

“Harry?” Anathema was concerned. Harry was too quiet. It almost looked like the child was occluding, hard. The test results and his response to them were worrying. Slowly, he turned to look up at her as they walked down the white marble steps. “Are you alright? If you'd rather collect your things from the Leaky and come back to Diagon another day, we can do that.”

“No. I'm alright. I think. I dunno… it's a lot. I mean, I knew it was going to be bad. But the magic stuff, I didn't know about that…” Harry shrugged.

“Okay,” Anathema cleared her throat, “just let me know when you've had enough and we can come back or owl-order anything you might be missing.” Stepping down the last few stairs, the pair was easily swallowed by the chaos of back-to-school shoppers.

The bell rang as they entered Madame Malkin's. Anathema waved Harry toward the back of the store for the assistant to get his current measurements. While she waited, she made her way through the store picking out trousers and shirts, a couple soft, warm jumpers and other clothing items as well as 3 pairs of flannel pajamas. Handing them off to a clerk to hold for them, Anathema wound her way through the racks of ready made casual and dress robes to find Harry up on a stool, tape measure whipping around him.

“Once we are done here, where else do we need to go other than the bookstore, Harry?” Anathema caught Harry's eyes in the mirror.

“Um, I need some things for Hedwig and potion supplies. But that's it, I think.” Harry responded.

“Okay, I pulled some other things for you to decide on. Things to wear other than your uniform on weekends and such. I'm not sure how  you on personal items, so I didn't pull any of those for you.”

Harry blushed. Just what he needed, Miss Ana picking out his socks and underwear. “Yeah, okay. Um. Thanks. I should grab some of those too, it's been… a while.”

Measurements completed, Harry trailed after her as they looked through the racks and tables of clothing and personal items on the way up to the counter.

“Is this everything?” asked the clerk.

“I have a few things set aside behind the counter. If I could get all of these with growth charms as well as 3 sets of Hogwarts robes with growth and warming charms.” Anathema instructed. “Harry, was this everything that you wanted?” she asked, turning to him.

“Um, yeah. I’d rather grab socks and all that from the muggle side…what I’m used to…” he mumbled, face bright red.

“Then, yes. That will be everything. Thank you.” Packages paid for and shrunk down, with the address for the robes to be delivered by the end of the week, Anathema led Harry back out and down the street toward the Menagerie.

“Just owl supplies?” she asked as they made their way back toward the section of the store with owl treats.

“Yeah… I left her cage at the Dursleys but it was too small and she hated it after being locked in it all last summer. Don’t blame her for that.  Told her to stay at Hogwarts this year so…” Harry drifted off, eyeing the back wall with snakes, owl treats held absently in his hand.

“Do you want a snake, Harry?” Anathema teased.

“Sometimes. It’d be nice to have someone to talk to, you know, someone who didn’t tell my secrets…couldn’t tell my secrets. But after last year…everyone thinking I was the Heir of Slytherin…”

Anathema’s mouth quirked at that.

“Yeah, I know that NOW...”

Giving his shoulder a nudge, Anathema pushed Harry toward the snake tanks with her pale hand. “Go on. Just see if you make a friend. No pressure one way or another. Being Heir of Slytherin, being a Parselmouth…it’s not evil or dark, it’s just part of being you. And who you are is the Heir of Salazar Slytherin. Carry your families with pride, Hadar James Potter Black.”

Not sure why Miss Ana cared so much, Harry shrugged internally and got closer to the tanks. There weren’t many snakes, most of the glass cases held different types and sizes of toads. Only one case held a snake. Harry had, at first glance, thought the case held three different snakes but a closer look – and a glance at the tag – revealed it was a juvenile runespoor. Which was plotting how to escape so that they could eat the toads in the next enclosure as the dead mice they were given didn’t meet their approval.

Harry snorted. ::Hello.::

Three heads turned to him in sync with a gasp.

:: Speaker! Do you think?:: the left head turned to the others.

::Maybe:: bobbled the middle head like Mrs. Singh from down the road did.

::Doubtful.:: the right head wobbled in a circle as if rolling their eyes.

::Would you, speaker, open the lid? So tired of dead mouse…:: inquired the left head with what looked like a hopeful expression at Harry.

::Yes, fresh are best.:: mused the middle in agreement.

::Yes! Fresh. Only fresh prey here are toads. Please speaker, we need fresh prey.::

::Sorry. Um, I don’t think that I can help you eat the toads…:: Harry grimaced.

::Just like the two-legs. No one cares that we’re languishing!:: disparaged the right head as if it had known this was the outcome all along.

::No. I do. I just think that we’d all get in trouble. But if you want fresh…do you want to come with me?:: This might be a mistake and completely impulsive considering what he just told Miss Ana about last year but….

“Did you make a friend, Harry?” Harry hadn’t noticed Miss Ana creep up behind him to peer through the glass over his shoulder.

“Not so much a friend as the snake version of Fred and George.” Harry laughed. At Miss Ana’s confused look, Harry added “The Weasley Twins. They talk like the snake, overlapping thoughts…like they are having a whole conversation with each other with only a couple of words.”

“And what are they saying?” Miss Ana asked him, bemused.

“Oh. Um. They want me to assist in a prison break and mass murder, I think…they want to get out and eat the toads…” Harry joked.

“And are we assisting in this endeavor?” Miss Ana asked him. Harry turned to look at her. She looked serious. She was seriously asking if he wanted to take home a sassy, dramatic, highly venomous snake.

“Well, I asked them if they wanted to leave with me…they haven’t answered yet.”

Harry and Anathema turned back to the glass case to find three pairs of red eyes staring at them, assessing them.

::Speaker. We will come with you and your nest-mother. Yes! We will have fresh prey once we are free. Make the … oh, what do the two-legs call it?:: decided the right head with the left absently nodding along.

::Make the swearing…idiots…:: the right head was either amusing or Snape as a snake, Harry couldn’t decide.

::Yes, the swearing!::

Rolling his eyes, Harry agreed, promising the snake fresh prey once they were safely back at his nest. Not sure if Miss Ana’s home was his nest, but it was a nest…

Tracking down the proprietor, Miss Ana instructed him to box up the snake and necessary supplies, as well as Harry’s owl treats. Harry tried to protest, again, but like in Madam Malkin’s, Miss Ana just brushed his protests off with a “Mother’s prerogative, children do not pay for school supplies, or their general needs and the snake is a gift.”

An unanticipatedly informative stop at Jigger’s apothecary had Harry’s brain exploding with questions about why no one taught him this before or at school, his potion ingredients and kit restocked and upgraded.