Snake
Part 1:
Harry was crouched in the dark, staring at the silhouette of his hands. His stomach ached with hunger but he ignored it. It was quite comforting really, the only thing that actually stayed the same around here. The boy softly banged his head against the wall in frustration. He was different, he knew he was different. He had to be, right? His knees hurt from crouching in his cupboard and he knew he ought to sleep. Afterall, it was his cousin, Dudley's birthday tomorrow and his Aunt and Uncle would kill him if he slept in. Harry flopped onto a thin blanket, worn with holes and sighed.
What a waste of time, going to the zoo, just so Dudley could bully him while he was bored. He would be locked in his cupboard anyway, on a normal day and he could be experimenting, figuring out what was wrong with him. Petunia and Vernon told him frequently that it was because he was a freak, and an orphan, but his Aunt and Uncle had never been super reliable. No, he, Harry, needed proof that he was special, that his family had made a mistake. Tears welled in his eyes, how dare his parents die, without leaving him anything! He hated them for the situation he was in, leaving him alone and abandoned. He would prove them wrong and do something special, he just needed to escape this life. With a gleam in his bright green eyes, Harry Potter drifted asleep.
Harry awoke to Petunia Dursley knocking loudly on his cupboard door. 'Get up you useless thing, come help in the kitchen!' Harry scowled, being treated like a servant, when he was destined for so much more. His uncle stomped down the stairs, showering Harry with dust and spiders. 'One day', Harry whispered as he pulled on an oversized shirt and baggy pants, tied up with a bit of string. 'One day you will regret this.'
As he stumbled out to the kitchen, tripping over the enormous pants, Harry stretched. The boy had been locked in the cupboard under the stairs for days. He blinked rapidly and re-positioned his round glasses as he adjusted to the bright kitchen light. 'About time Potter' his Uncle Vernon snapped. 'Stack Duddie's Presents, don't drop any. He should be down anytime now.' He sneered down at Harry, taking in his ruffled, jet-black hair, malnourished body and the thin snake-like scar on his forehead, a souvenir from the car accident that killed his parents.
After hours of entertaining his older cousin, being beaten and bullied, the Dursleys and Harry were loaded into the car. On the way to the zoo, Harry watched Dudley break 10 of his new presents, throw three tantrums and almost crash the car. It was almost the end of the holidays and then Harry and Dudley would be heading to their new schools. It would be a relief, Harry thought, to escape Dudley and have a name of his own for once. Dudley and his gang had always bullied Harry, causing every other student to avoid him. The car screeched to a holt just as Dudley wiped away his non existent tears because one of his presents was a book.
It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with happy families. The Dursleys bought Dudley a large chocolate ice cream at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon icy pole. It wasn't bad, either, Harry thought, wishing that he could somehow trap Dudley in with the gorilla they were watching. Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley, who was starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't begin to taunt him once more. They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his meal wasn't big enough, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to somewhat finish the first, before the Dursleys caught him.
After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. He quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can - but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep. Harry studied the python carefully, taking in its majestic body and glossy scales. It was magnificent, one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen. Dudley had waddled off, his parents in tow, leaving Harry by himself, staring through the glass.
The snakes eyes slowly opened and it took in Harry. Somehow, Harry knew it approved of him. Excitement burned inside him, he was special. The snake nodded at him, 'yesss' She hissed, confirming his belief. Suddenly Harry was filled with outrage. This stunning creature, trapped behind glass, while monsters like Dudley had free range of the earth?? 'How long have you been trapped here?' Harry whispered through the glass. 'Yearsss. And for many more I shhhall remain. I cannot die, I shhall sssimply be reborn, refresshed and new. Better than a phoenix, ssskipping the phasse of youth. Free me, Harry Potter, and I shhall belong to you and your ancestorss, when hisstory repeatsss. Free me, name me, I am yours.'
Dudley barged into Harry, slamming him to the ground, yelling to his parents to come and see the serpent. All the anger that had built up inside him released and the glass in front of the python's tank vanished, causing Dudley to fall face first into the tank. The serpent stared at Harry's scar, 'Snake'. It hissed. Harry nodded. 'Bye..' After a moments hesitation he added a name to the end, 'Nagini.'