Disclaimer: Obviously, Harry Potter is not mine. The whole story is for fun...
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Ch10: THE SNAKE AND THE EGG
They continued on to the Binding charm. That one wasn't so easy, Harry quickly found out. One thing was to conjure the ropes, but there was something completely different to tie the ropes around an object so it couldn't escape. Dumbledore instructed him in how he was supposed the make circles with his wand and say `Incarcero', but Harry didn't manage it as fast as he had hoped to do. It was like something was holding him back.
"Oh, come on! Incarcero!" he huffed and made circular movement on the chair they were practicing on. Rope sprang from his wand and wrapped itself around the chair. For a moment it actually seemed like he had made it, but then the ropes loosened up and fell on the floor and disappeared. Harry moaned.
"Patience, Harry!" commanded Dumbledore.
"Yeah, yeah," said Harry, and tried again with no greater success. Both of them sighed at the same time.
"I think this is enough for today," said Dumbledore.
"No!" Harry begged, "Please, I just want to do it!"
"Very well."
Harry took a deep breath and collected himself. He was going to do it this time! He started to do the circular moves with his wand and shouted, "Incarcero!" The ropes once again sprung from his wand and around the chair. This time it stayed put for about ten seconds. Harry smiled thinly; at least he was doing some progress... he turned to the Headmaster. "Okay, now I feel comfortable to take a rest! Oh! Um -thank you for helping me, Headmaster."
"My pleasure," Dumbledore nodded pleasantly and left with an encouraging twinkle in his eyes in Harry's direction.
-
Harry, however, only rested in ten minutes before he decided to try again. He wanted to manage it better and he wasn't going to give up. He has powers Voldemort has not…right! he thought sarcastically to himself. Voldemort wouldn't have any problem conjuring some stupid ropes around a chair!
It took one more half an hour before he finally felt like he was doing it right. The ropes would cling on to the chair for about two minutes then. Finally; deciding he had enough for the day, he went up to take a shower.
On his way up he walked past Mrs. Weasley; who seemed shocked, Hermione; who looked up at him oddly, and Ron; who didn't seem to notice him.
"We are going to Diagon Alley soon, do you want to come? And why are you all sweaty?" asked Mrs. Weasley, and Ron looked up briefly. Harry carefully avoided his eyes.
"I've been practicing," he answered, "I guess I can come if I'm allowed to take a shower first. What do we do about Parvati?"
Hermione - who had raised an eyebrow that Harry had been practicing - frowned. He sent her a reassuring smile and felt his stomach tighten a little bit.
"Lupin asked me to take care of her."
"She's asleep," said Mrs. Weasley, answering Harry's question. He nodded, and went up to take the shower.
-
When Harry was done and came downstairs, feeling clean but not completely dry yet, Molly grabbed his arm.
"There you are!" she said and guided him to the fireplace, where the others already were lined up. Harry rolled his eyes mentally of himself; his shower had probably been in vain.
It didn't take long before they were walking in a group in the unusually quiet street of Diagon Alley.
"Why is everyone so quiet?" asked Ron incredulously. It was all Harry could do to not kick his leg.
"Honestly Ron, do you really think people want to draw attention to them now as they know Voldemort is back?" snapped Hermione. That seemed to shut Ron up, though it didn't stop him from glaring at Harry angrily as though it was Harry's fault.
After they were done shopping the thing they needed, they went down to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, Fred and George new joke shop. The twins were delighted to have their family over for a visit, especially Harry. They said it was good PR, which nobody protested against.
Harry browsed and bought a lot. He had a feeling they would need some laughs in the following year. He actually felt a little better being in the shop, like the real world only existed outside the walls and not inside.
"We got to go, Harry," said Hermione from the door to draw Harry's attention. He huffed softly and followed her and the rest of the Weasleys out of the door. Fred and George waived cheerfully after them. Ginny came up on the left side of Harry.
"Hi," she said, blushing slightly.
"Hi Ginny," said Harry, but couldn't help to look around him all the time in case some Death Eaters were approaching. The tense atmosphere in Diagon Alley made him feel more alert for each step he took.
"Is there something wrong?" she asked, grabbing his upper arm. Harry startled, and Ginny quickly withdraw her hand as if she were burned.
"Ouch!" she said, massaging her hand. "What did you do that for?"
"Did what?" asked Harry in return, confused.
"You burned me!" she exclaimed. The Weasleys and Hermione stopped dead in their tracks, and Harry suddenly felt like he had been caught spying.
"I did not!" he denied.
"Yes, you did!"
"No, I didn't!"
"You did!" she protested, and showed him the palm of her hand that was much more red than normal.
Harry sighed, maybe he had, after all. "Sorry, Gin, I didn't mean to. You okay?"
"Yeah," she said quietly, but kept a good distance from him after that.
"Just trying to stay alert, that's all," he mumbled. Mrs. Weasley didn't seem to know what to do or say about that matter, and chose to keep quiet about it.
-
They didn't stay long in Diagon Alley, even though Diagon Alley had a lot of guards and security arrangements. Death Eaters could still attack, especially if they knew Harry Potter was there.
Harry didn't waste a minute when they had flooed back to Grimmauld Place 12. He ran straight to the library, and began to search for a book about Occlumency. After ten minutes he found a book that looked like could contain some information. The cover was dull brown and golden letters with the text: `A Path to the Mind' shone up at him. Harry suspected that also this book contained Dark Arts, but there weren't exactly many books about Occlumency he could choose from, so he had to take it.
He sat down in an armchair and had just opened the book to read it when Hermione came in. Her eyes widened at the sight of Harry, but then she smiled and came over. Harry, ignoring the butterflies he suddenly had, put away the book and greeted her.
"What are you reading?" she asked curiously, and cocked her head in a very cute way. He noticed the way her hair would fall to the same side when she did that.
"A book about Occlumency… `A Path to the Mind'", he explained vaguely.
"Oh!" she suddenly exclaimed, clapping her hands together like a little child, "Can I read it with you?"
"Sure," he said, moving to the floor so both of them could read at the same time. Hermione settled down beside him, and Harry felt a wave of gratitude towards her for being his friend. She seemed to notice and gave him a quick, warm smile, before he opened the book and they started to read.
-
The book was very informative. It explained everything from how to empty your mind to enter others. For example; the fact that meditating had helped a lot of wizards and how candles in a circle could help you relax and get more aware of yourself and your thoughts. It also explained that to just empty your mind wasn't enough, you also had to get rid of all emotions, or else it would be very easy for an intruder to manipulate him- or herself in. Several times Harry found himself frowning. If only Snape would have bother to tell him this then it perhaps wouldn't have been so difficult!
"Do you want to try any of it?" asked Hermione suddenly, her voice a little nervous, and Harry was snapped out from his thoughts.
"Huh?"
"The candle-thing?" she asked again, and sat up slowly.
"I dunno…" Harry couldn't help but feel a bit stupid of the thought. "Do we have any candles?" he asked, not wanting to sound like a coward.
"I think so, down in the kitchen. Should I get some?"
Harry hesitated; he didn't really feel up to it. What if somebody walked in on them? That would be so embarrassing!
Hermione scowled at him. "What's the point of reading that book if you doesn't want to try anything? You-"
"All right, all right, get the candles then!" he snapped, and Hermione disappeared. Harry felt bad about snapping at her, so he quickly apologized when she came up again with the candles. She just smirked at him and began to arrange the candles.
Harry still had bad feelings about it.
"Okay, all set," she said and lit them. They both moved inside the ring and sat on the opposite side of each other, holding hands. Hermione's hands, Harry noticed, seemed to be a bit damp. They both tried to relax and empty their minds.
To empty his head was one thing, Harry noticed, but there was something else to get rid of the feeling that where soaring through his veins. He felt very uneasy and self-conscious, and at the same time he felt a warm, prickling feeling from his fingers, where he held Hermione, to his shoulders. No, he thought, this is not the time to think about it. Empty yourself now…
Harry regained his composure, and after a some time he felt a little more comfortable. Hermione seemed to be utterly relaxed the whole time, Harry noticed with slight irritation and admiration.
He sighed heavily, only focusing on a black wall and nothing else.
-
After a while the both of them lost the track of time, actually, Harry wasn't aware of anything anymore, the blackness was overwhelming. He was certain that not even Snape or Dumbledore could force themselves into his mind right then. His head felt oddly disconnected with his body, and it had begun to throb slightly, as if he was getting a headache.
Satisfied, Harry decided he could end it, but to snap out of it wasn't as easy as he would have liked it to be. It was like he was swimming to the surface from a very deep ocean. Suddenly, he felt someone shaking his shoulders, and he inhaled sharply, and opened his eyes. Ron was standing over him with a very annoyed expression. The candles had gone out.
"What are you doing?" Ron asked, looking from Harry to Hermione and back at Harry again.
"Practicing Occlumency," answered Harry truthfully, carefully keeping any resentment he felt for Ron at the moment out from his voice.
"Really?" asked Ron, arching an eyebrow, as if he didn't quite believe him. "Funny, I didn't see you do anything like this last year. It looks more like you're having a ritual or something!"
Harry looked over to Hermione, who now had her eyes open, staring intently at him. He was suddenly aware of that he still held her hands, but he didn't want to let go, so he stubbornly held on to them. If Ron didn't like it then it was Ron's problem, not Harry's.
"Right then," said Ron, clearly trying to draw attention to himself. "Er, Hermione?" he asked when he finally saw Hermione looking at him, "Can we talk?"
She hesitated, but then nodded slowly. "Sure." She gave Harry an `I'm sorry' look and followed Ron out. Harry sighed as the loneliness washed over him again. He had a feeling that Ron was trying to steal Hermione from him, and he didn't like it. He didn't like it at all.
He really wished he could have someone to talk to, it didn't matter who, even a snake could do right now. If he only could find or conjure- Harry suddenly stopped his train of thoughts. He could conjure a snake; he had seen Draco Malfoy do it in his second year! He stood up quickly, feeling excited and pointed the wand at the floor in front of him.
"Serpensortia!"
A big, golden snake shot from his wand and landed with a hiss in front of him. Harry's breath was caught in his throat.
"Can you hear me?" asked Harry in Parselmouth, his mouth strangely dry. The snake turned its head and looked at Harry with bright, emerald eyes that could match Harry's own.
"Yesss," the snake hissed.
"Hi," said Harry, not really knowing what else to say. The snake only glared at him and took its tongue in and out to smell him.
"Do you have a name?" asked Harry politely, and lay down beside the creature. He felt totally safe with the snake.
"Name? No, I have not."
"Why not?"
"I do not belong here," the snake answered.
Harry said nothing.
"What isss troubling you, human?" the snake asked.
Harry rubbed his forehead. "It is my-" Harry tried to say `friend,' but there didn't seem to be a word for that in Parselmouth. "My -brother," he tried again, and continued: "He is jealous in something both he and I have, but he wants it for himself."
"I sssee," the snake said, "Doesss he ssshowsss fangsss?"
"Kind of. He tries to keep me away."
"What `thing' are we talking about?"
"A -female," Harry was a little embarrassed of the word, but there didn't seem to be a word for `girl' either.
"Do you want thisss female?"
Harry felt himself go red. "I do not know," he confessed.
"Isss ssshe worth fighting for?"
"Yes! I think so at least," Harry answered, "but I can't risk losing my -brother -in the process."
"What about an other female?" the snake asked.
"I do not know," Harry said again and sighed. "It is complicated."
"You are frussstrated," the snake said matter-of-factly.
"Yes."
"I need to go sssoon."
"Why?" asked Harry, he didn't want the snake to go.
"Asss I sssaid, I do not belong to thisss world."
"Can I summon you again?"
"Yesss, but I would not remember anything of thisss."
Harry felt even sadder. The snake seemed to notice.
"I can give you something of mine. Ssso you have someone to talk to that would not leave."
"You can?"
"Yesss. You ssseem worthy. Very few can talk our language."
Harry smiled at this, "Thank you, but what is it?"
"An egg. Our sssort can only give away one egg, so you have to take good care of it. Keep it warm, and feed my baby when he isss born."
"Yes, of course!" Harry's heart hammered wildly in his chest.
The great, golden snake studied him for a moment. Then she began to coil around herself, much faster than Harry would have thought were possible for a snake her size. She spans faster and faster until all Harry could she was a whirl with fire, and some small sparkles, and then she was gone. All that remained was a golden egg with the size of a chicken egg.
He carefully crawled over to it, and took the cool, smooth egg up in his hand. It was simply perfect.
He remembered what the snake said about keeping it warm, and he wondered how he could do that. He couldn't simply take it in a cauldron over the fireplace, like Hagrid had done with the Dragon Egg. He wondered if Hermione would come back, but it didn't seem like she would. Harry wondered if she really was worth fighting for, and what would happen if he did. He would probably lose Ron's friendship, and it wasn't even certain that Hermione even liked him that way, or even if he liked her that way, and if both of them did, it wasn't even certain that they could work it out.
Even thinking about it felt strange, but on the other hand he didn't like the thought of Ron having her either.
Harry thought back in how it had been in forth grade, when he and Ron had argued because Ron didn't believe Harry when he had said that he didn't put his name in the Goblet. It had been awful, and he was glad he had Ron back as his friend. But still, he couldn't help but feeling a little hurt of the memory that Ron didn't believe him. That Ron actually thought Harry was just seeking more attention to himself by risking his life yet again. He should've known better...
Harry sighed heavily and put the egg in his pocket. At least there it wouldn't get too cold.
-
Harry didn't see Hermione before the next morning. She looked very sad and tired, and wouldn't meet his eyes. Harry wondered what Ron had said to her and felt a flash of anger that quickly threatened to boil over. It was so close to the surface those days...
Almost instantly he felt a sharp tug in his right arm, and he jumped in surprise. Nobody seemed to notice, but Harry froze in his spot and felt very uneasy. The feeling ended as soon as it had came, and he shook his head. Maybe he had just slept in a bad position.
Parvati came down for breakfast, but she didn't eat anything. Harry felt bad for her, and he wondered how it would have been like for him if he had lost his parents now, instead of when he was one year old, when he didn't understand much. He guessed it would have been terrible either way, but on the other hand he wouldn't have to live with the Dursleys. Harry shivered. If only Sirius was alive…
-
After the breakfast Harry went for a run, the egg glued with a spell in his hand so he wouldn't lose it. He actually missed boxing a bit because it felt so good to punch the energy out, but there was hardly anything he could do about it.
After he was done he went up to the library, so he could study more in the Occlumency book. On the way he ran into Ron.
Both of them stopped abruptly, and shared an uncomfortable silence.
"What have I done, Ron?" asked Harry finally and waited.
"Huh, nothing -mate," said Ron with contempt and tried to get past Harry. Harry pushed him back, he had had enough.
"Tell me!" Harry demanded, getting impatient.
"What has Hermione told you?" asked Ron, red growing on the ears. Harry thought back, but couldn't seem to find the answer for what Ron wanted to know.
"About what?"
"About me!" said Ron, getting more and more red for each minute.
"That you wanted to date her," answered Harry truthfully.
"She did, did she? Was it before or after the article in Daily Prophet?
"What article?" asked Harry, but when Ron gave him a look he remembered. "Oh, that article? Right…"
"What did you do, anyway?" Ron asked, "Did you kiss?" Now it was Harry's turn to go red. He couldn't believe they had this conversation.
"Uh, -no?"
"You did!" Ron exclaimed, "How could you?"
Harry didn't answer, but instead he said: "Hey, Ron, we agreed that there couldn't be anything more between us! We don't wanna lose you!"
Ron shot him a murderous look and left. This time Harry didn't try to stop him.
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