Serpents and the magic that weaves them
Chapter 2: Serpents and the magic that weaves them
Harry dreams… A woman with fiery red hair and green eyes shining with tears is rocking him in her arms, speaking to him softly though her voice trembles. “I love you, Harry. I love you so much, I will keep you safe. I'm so sorry Harry mama has to leave you, but you will be ok sweetheart, I love you so so much.”
There's a thud downstairs, the sound of a body hitting the floor, the women let out a sob, tears streaming down her face. The stairs creek as someone walks up them, the woman places Harry in a cot kissing his forehead softly as she lays him on the thin mattress. Then, she turns her back to him spreading her arms wide and protecting him with her body just as the door bangs open.
A man strides into the room, a manic grin plastered on his pale face. "Ahh… you must be the boy's mother." The man says in an amused voice, but his eyes are cold and vengeful.
The woman who must be Harry’s mother doesn't say anything to the man, she stands in front of Harry, arms still spread wide, her eyes full of rage, as she stares at the man like she's trying to make him crumble to dust with nothing but her gaze.
The man is still standing in the doorway annoyance growing on his face. "Move woman!" He demands harshly. “Stand aside and let me kill the boy, there is no reason for you to die like your husband."
The woman's eyes flash with grief at the mention of her husband but she still stands immovable in front of the cot. Her red hair flowing down her back, her face set with fury, green eyes sparking, her voice is full of power as she speaks and magic rolls from her in waves. “You will not touch my son. You will not kill him. I will make sure of that."
Then she turns her back on the man, whispers so quietly in Harry's ear it is barely a breath, the man doesn't seem to hear. "Child of my blood, you shall not perish here today I give my life for yours; love and blood shall shield." Then she bights down on her lip, red drops of blood quickly follow and she pushes her bloodied mouth against his forehead in a gentle kiss, he feels magic brush against his head as her blood settled on his skin.
"I gave you the chance to live woman, you should have taken it.” Then he points his wand at the woman's back and shouts; “AVADA-KEDAVRA!"
The red-haired woman looks at Harry with such fierce love in her eyes, as green light fills the room. "My special boy be strong and be everything you want to be. I'm so sorry I won't get to see you grow. I love you, Harry.” Then the spell hits her back and she crumples to the floor.
Harry stares at her body and then starts to cry. His steadily growing sobs filling the otherwise silent room as the man approaches him, smiling cruelly at Harry as he speaks. "Your turn to die boy. I cannot have you ruining my plans.” He levels the wand at Harry's head and says; "Avada-kedavra!"
The green light hits his head and crackles down his face, Harry screams, his head feels like it's being split open, he feels warm blood drip down into his eyes…
~~~
Harry gasps awake, shaking all over from the horrific nightmare. He clutches his head it still feels like it's being split open, there is blood trickling out of his cracked lightning scar, and tears flowing steadily down his face. He forces himself to sit up despite the way his stomach rolls with nausea and gropes blearily for the string to turn the dim cupboard light on.
He is temporarily shocked to see a snake slither off the pillow and wrap itself around his wrist. He stares at it in confusion, why does he have a snake? Before the memory comes back to him. ‘Oh, right! I stole a highly venomous snake from a zoo. I can speak to the snake, I named it Selena, and Selena knows all about magic for reasons he does not know or understand. Also, magic is real!!’
"Hi Selena, I'm sorry for waking you up." He hisses to her softly when he has wrangled his thoughts in line.
"Good morning, speaker. I do not mind being woken up.” She hisses back while she coils herself more securely on his wrist.
He pushes the memory of the dream to the back of his mind, he can deal with it later (or never) “Will you tell me about magic today?"
"Yes, speaker I will teach you.” She replies surely.
He perks up a bit at her agreement. “Cool! Let me get ready and we can go out of the house."
Harry finds his clothes, and goes the bathroom to wash and brush his teeth before the Dursleys wake up. He stares at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, tracing the raised white lines of the lighting scar that stands out so prominently against his light brown skin. The scar starts at the side of his forehead and goes over the bridge of his nose ending at the corner of his left eye, he always thought his scar was cool, but after that dream… now it reminds him of what he could have had. He sighs and tiredly walks to the front door to sneak out before the Dursleys wake up.
It's 7.30 am on a Saturday, the air is warm as he walks down privet drive towards the park. His birthday is just over a week away, he's turning eleven years old. Not that it really matters, the Dursleys have never bought him presents or even acknowledged that it's his birthday. It will be just another day for Harry, but he's still excited to be eleven years old. Eleven is much more mature than ten after all.
He arrives at the park and goes to sit on the bench, there are no people anywhere the park is completely empty. So, he hisses to Selena; “It's safe to come out now. There are no humans."
Selena wriggles out from his sleeve to rest on the bench beside him. "Speaker, you are sad today, why?"
“I had a dream… about my mother." He admits in a hushed tone, face turning sad. “Or at least I think it was.”
“Your dream must have had strong magic I could sense it around you, that's what woke me.”
“Yes… I think it did.” Harry says thinking about the stick that he thinks could be a wand? Also, the way green light had shot from the end of the stick held by the manically grinning man, and killed her. He can still hear the sound of her body hitting the floor. See her raging green eyes turn cold and unmoving. God that dream felt so real.
“Tell me, speaker." Selena says, gently. That’s strange because no one ever speaks to him gently. No living thing ever cares what he has to say.
“Yeah…okay.” He says quietly, blinking to make sure no tears ever leave his eyes. And tells Selena all about the dream.
Of his mother's softly spoken words, of the terrifying man that killed her, of her sacrifice and the words she whispered that made magic brush his forehead. Selena watches him listening carefully with unblinking eyes.
“…and then he tried to kill me, but I didn't die, my head just hurt really badly, I think that's how I got my scar."
“Yes, speaker. That man gave you the scar. The words your mother whispered were ancient blood magic. It is a magical exchange where a parent gives their life for the protection of their hatchling. Such a powerful protection can hold strong even against the curse that brings death to a soul.” Selena tells him from her place on the bench as she soaks in the early morning sun. “She kept you safe when a predator tried to strike you. The predator cannot hurt you now.”
"She died for me? She loved me?" Harry said with tears pricking at his eyes sharper now, as he tries to wrap his head around the concept.
“Yes speaker. She loved you deeply or the magic would not have worked. The blood magic she did is nearly impossible to achieve, she must have been very powerful, I see where you get your strength from now."
Harry smiles shakily at the beautiful green serpent. There is a strange type of pain in his chest, it’s grief for a mother who loved him, pain that he had never and would never get to know her. Anger that she had been killed and the Dursleys had lied to him about her death. Comfort in knowing that he used to be loved by someone, that he wasn't always seen as burden and freak. Pride at how powerful and strong his mother had been. He thinks back to the dream of her standing so fierce and strong in front of him protecting him from death itself.
He wonders if she would still give her life, if she saw what his existence had become. Beaten by Dursleys, weak and underfed, lives in the damn cupboard. He thinks his mother would rip the Dursleys to shreds if she was alive, he smiles at the thought.
He takes a deep breath, nodding at Selena in acknowledgment, before tucking all of the thoughts and feeling away in a safe part of his mind. Where he keeps all the precious things. Then he speak again, changing the subject swiftly. "Ok Selena, can you teach me about magic now?”
Selena tilts her head slightly, as if considering him. “First I must tell you of serpents and the magic that weaves us."
He smiles at her, already exited to learn anything she can teach him. "We have the whole day Selena, so tell me everything you can.”
She situates herself more comfortably, twisting her body until it’s up against his thigh leeching the warmth from his skin. “We serpents are woven with magic; it is in our blood. Some serpents are more powerful than others, but all serpents even the ones humans claim as their own are made of magic."
"How do you know so much about magic if you spent your life caged?" He asks as his curiosity gets the better of him.
She doesn’t seem to mind the question though, as she responds without anger. "We serpents are born with knowledge. We can live many lives, and we are reborn into new bodies after we perish. It is possible for us to hold some of the memories from the lives we lived before. We can sense magic, and magic is full of knowledge, we listen to it and learn. That is the way of serpents."
He is listening raptly to her words, finding himself deeply intrigued. “Woah, that's so cool Selena.” He says with awe. “You lived lives before this one? What were they like?"
“I am a young serpent; I have only lived one life before this one. In my previous life, I was noble familiar to the first serpent speaker. His name was Salazar, he was one of the most powerful Wixen in history, and I was his most trusted friend. He knew many things about magic, much of my knowledge comes from him." She hisses softly and Harry can’t help but hear the sadness in her tone.
He uncertainly reaches out to pet her scales, he knows people sometimes feel comforted by physical contact when they’re sad he hopes it’s the same for snakes. She doesn’t try to move away and does appear to be more content so Harry thinks he did the right thing. “He was a speaker like me? The first serpent speaker?"
“Yes, he was the first." Selena replies with a slight incline of her elegant head, she’s a very regal being. Most snakes are but Selena even more so.
"Are serpent speakers common, are there many of us?" He asks looking down at her intently.
“No. Speakers are extremely rare. I did not think I would find another speaker in any of my next lives. I am so very grateful I found you… my speaker.”
“I think it's me who should be the most grateful Selena. I didn't have anyone before I met you and I would have never known about magic or about my serpent speaking.” He tells her quietly.
“We can be grateful for each other speaker." She says and if Harry is not mistaken, he thinks she sounds a little fond. Christ it’s so strange to be treated kindly for once in life.
He nods at her once again in acknowledgment before asking a question that has been nagging at the edges of his thoughts since he found out about the whole ‘magic is real’ thing. "Selena? Can you tell me about magical humans. Ones like me?”
She slithers over and up onto his leg so she can stare at him more sufficiently, with are seemingly endless and all-knowing eyes. “They are called Wixen. They are humans who have magical cores, they have the ability to wield the magic of this world.”
"And I-I can learn how to wield magic? And be powerful like my mother?” He says hopefully, staring back at her just as intensely.
“Yes, I will teach you." She concedes.
“How?" Harry asks a bit desperately. He is eager to learn, he wants to be powerful enough to protect himself against the Dursleys. He wants to learn everything there is to learn about magic. He wants to be strong like his mother was, brave and clever as she must have been to put such a powerful spell on him so quickly in the face of death. He decides right then and there that he would make her proud.
"I will teach you speaker, but we must be cautious. Wixen have spells that tell them when their young ones are performing magic. You will not be able to practice magic alone in the muggle world, without them knowing until you have reached maturity. Seventeen years of age.” She says in a disapproving hiss, she clearly disagrees with the rules adult Wixen have set.
"But…but how will I learn? I can't wait seven years.” He mutters glaring at nothing in particular before adding, “Also, what's a muggle?"
"I can use my magic to shield your magical signature from them but only for small spells I am not yet powerful enough to do more than that meagre feat.” She replies lowering her head slightly in her own disappointment. “Muggle is a term Wixen use for a non-magical human."
He pets her head thoughtfully before replying slowly. "So… I can try small spells and they won't find out?”
“Yes speaker."
“But I can't do big spells until I'm... seventeen?" He says frowning slightly with disappointment, but it is something at least, and he doesn’t know the scale of magic, having no idea what a ‘small spell’ could look like.
“It's only in the muggle world you cannot do magic. There is a school for Wixen hatchlings, where they can be taught to wield magic. Salazar was one of the founders of the school, I was there when they built it.” She pauses for a moment, considering him steadily, before asking, “How old are you speaker?"
“I am eleven next week.” Harry says with a little too much hope and excitement, but… a school where he could learn magic?! That would be…amazing.
“You are old enough to go this year if you are indeed eleven years of age. I imagine they will send you a letter in the coming days. You will go and learn magic, and I shall go with you." She declares, seemingly oblivious to the way Harry reels back in complete surprise.
“This year!!” Harry yelped in shock, then forces himself to pause for a moment to take a calming breath. “ I can go to this magic school this year?"
“Yes, speaker, you will do well there do not fear." She replies with an almost smug air or perhaps proud…not that Harry would know what that looks like first hand. Only through watching Dudley with petunia and Vernon.
“What is the school called?" Harry asks unable to stop the blatant excitement creeping into his voice.
“Hogwarts. You will live there with other magical children most of the year.” She says and he thinks if snakes could smile, she would be doing exactly that right now.
He finds himself lost briefly in thought…What a strange name Harry muses internally, but he didn't dwell on that thought for too long, because Selena just told him that Hogwarts is a boarding school. Which means he will be away from the Dursleys!!! He will be free from them most of the year and he will learn magic as well! If this is a dream he never wants to wake up.
Suddenly a devastating thought struck him…boarding schools cost a lot of money and the Dursleys would never pay for him to go. He has no money. His heart sinks as he realises that there is no way he will be able to go.
“Selena.” He says in defeated mumble. “I have no money I can't go."
“You have old magic in your blood from your father's side I recognise it. It is magic from the house of Potter. They are a powerful house and they have many ancient treasures and hordes of gold, in the Wixen bank-Gringotts. Do not worry about funds I think you will discover you have more than enough."
His heart leapt with renewed hope, but also disbelief because how could it be possible that he has mounds of gold? Yet still lives in a cupboard and wears Dudley's hand-me-down clothes?
"How can you know that I still have money in this… Gringotts? What if someone took it?” He asks, not quite daring enough to let hope consume him fully.
“I told you, speaker. We serpents are weaved with magic, we sense it, we feel it, we speak to it. I can sense the Potter magic in your blood and I would feel it if it’s treasures were stolen." Sounding slightly offended that he doubted her word.
“You are sure? I can definitely go?" He can barely restrain the hope now, despite the way is thoughts scream at him that it’s not true and there is no escape from this hell with the Dursleys.
“Yes speaker, I am sure." Selena says with such certainty that Harry has to let himself believe her.
“Okay.” Harry says to Selena he is pretty sure he trusts her judgment he will trust her on this. Then a thought strikes him, “Potter? Selena, is my surname potter?"
“Yes, speaker, you did not know this?" She asks uncertainty in her melodic voice.
"No, the Dursleys never told me, I always wanted to know.” He sighs sadly. “But at least I know now, and Potter? Harry Potter.” He says trying the name out on his tongue. “That’s a nice surname.” A smile creeps onto his face.
"I'm sorry speaker you should have known sooner." She hisses regretfully.
“ It's ok Selena, honest. It's not your fault.” He assures her as he files the information away before pushing the conversation onward and into lighter topics. “Anyway… Can I try some magic? You said you can shield my magical signature?"
Selena loses the thoughtful sadness in her eyes and replies with a hiss. “Yes speaker.”
“How do I do magic?" He says the eager curiosity back in full swing.
"The same way you freed me from my cage, you use your will and your thoughts, draw from your core. You have strong magic it will not be too difficult for you to try small spells, and you are a speaker. Serpent speakers are usually very powerful. Try and make something float.” She moves away from his lap slithering back down onto the bench to give him space to work.
Harry listens carefully to Selena's words. Then looks around for something small he can levitate, settling for a small rock. He does what Selena says, remembering how he broke her from the cave yesterday.
It takes him a few tries, but then the rock floats shakily up off the ground and rises about a metre before he loses focus and it drops back to the floor.
"Selena, I did it! Did you see?! I did it.” He says gleefully practically bouncing out of his skin, from his place on the bench.
"Well done speaker that was a good first try, with practice you will do great things." Selena says, with the same proud tone as before. “ But that is enough for today we do not want to exhaust your magic. It takes time to build stamina for such things.”
"Aww ok.” He whines like a little child, something he has not allowed himself to be for years. “But more lessons tomorrow?" He adds hopefully.
“Yes speaker."
He stands up from the bench it must be about 11 am now. "Selena, do you want to go to the library with me it should be open now. We can spend the rest of the day there before we have to go back to the house."
“That would be good speaker, you should read it is good for young minds to have knowledge." She says approvingly.
Harry laughs smiling down at her. "Okay Selena, let's go.”
They leave the park behind and begin to walk slowly to the local library, Selena hidden under his sleeve again. They speak in quite hisses the whole way, it's nice having someone to talk to, he didn't realise how much he had craved it until this moment.
They eventually arrive at the library, he doesn't have a library card petunia wouldn't get him one, but the librarian has always been kind to him and lets him stay in the library and read the books for as long as he wants.
He walks through the door and says hello to the person at the desk. Then he starts searching for a good book to read; eventually deciding on a book about astrology. He takes the book and settles into an armchair that is tucked away in the far corner of the library, he opens the book and starts reading.
It's very interesting, the book tells him about all the different constellations, and the different stars and their names. After a while Selena pokes her head out of his sleeve and then proceeds to slither up his body to rest under his collar around his neck, she watches the book with curiosity as he flips the pages. "Selena.” He asks, quietly as to not alert anyone to his strange new abilities. “Why don't you call me by my name?"
"Because your name does not sound like a speakers name." She states like it's obvious and he is entirely stupid. “If you have a speaker name that is worthy, I can call you that if you wish."
“Hmm…” Harry muses. “Your name is Selena it means moon. What about if you call me Star? Then we will be the moon and the star."
"That is adequate. I can call you Star it is a good speakers name." She hisses in a firm sign of approval.
Harry smiles he likes that name. He also loves that he has a nickname, that is beautiful and special, that only Selena can call him, something the Dursleys can't take from him. Something more than the name they call him (boy). He has always admired the stars they are so far away from all the bad things they just get to be free watching the world go by while shining so brightly in the night sky, he has always wished to be a star.
"We have to go back now Selena.” He says slowly, hesitant to break the steady peacefulness of their day. But knowing that he has to lest he anger the Dursleys for turning up after dark.
Selena let’s put a soft sad hiss, before replying. “Ok, Star let us go back to your family.”