Chapter Text
Harry Potter owned very little. After all where would he put possessions? His cupboard was barely large enough to stand up in and he didn't need the clutter. Even if he did have room, Harry doubted he would want objects, they had little meaning in the long run. It was feelings that mattered.
Watching Dudley rip into the mound of presents that day he frowned a little, wondering what feeling the thick child could possible get from these 'things'. Harry quietly continued doing his chores as the pile was slowly made into a heaps of scraps he'd have to pick up and a stack of new stuff to add to Dudley's already packed second room.
Eventually Uncle Vernon announced that they would be going to the zoo and after a warning Harry was allowed in the car to come along. Harry trailed after his relatives, not really interested in the caged animals until they came to the reptile house. Harry was immediately drawn to the snakes, taking in the elegant creatures that were basking in the heat lamps artificial glow.
A familiar bellow drew Harry's attention to the other side of the house, Dudley was demanding that his father make a sleeping snake move. Harry watched with an irritated frown as Vernon pounded on the glass but received no reaction from the snake in question. Dudley stormed off with Vernon and Petunia hurrying after him.
Harry walked over to the enclosure, "I'm sorry if they disturbed you." He said quietly, the snakes head lifted and it looked at him, "They are the worse sometimes." He looked down at the plaque describing the snake and snorted, "You’re a bit too thin to be a constrictor, a large breed of viper maybe." The snake dipped its head and Harry smiled before he suddenly found himself shoved aside and to the ground.
Harry looked up to see Dudley leaning over the rail and pressing his thick sweaty hands to the class. The viper was hissing at him in anger and Harry's jaw locked. His own anger spiked and something inside him surged in response. In the next instant the glass disappeared and Dudley fell into the habitat.
Screams filled the building as the viper slithered out from the habitat and onto the floor by Harry. The glass reappeared, effectively trapping the panicking Dudley in the habitat and leaving Petunia and Vernon banging at the glass. Harry dropped his gaze to the viper who had coiled itself next to him, *Thank you hatchling.* came a female voice from the snake.
Harry blinked but took the talking snake in stride, *Anytime.* he replied. The viper leaned forward and nudged his hand until he stroked down her back. At the contact, his scar pulsed strangely and feelings he didn't understand welled up in him. *Will you stay with me?* he blurted out.
The viper looked him in the eye, *Why?*
Harry frowned, trying to decipher the emotions running through him, *You feel like.......safety and joy and.....you feel like mine.*
The viper considered him for several moments, *Very well hatchling. I will stay with you.*
Just then Vernon turned on them and yelled at Harry without noticing his new companion, "I told you no freaky stuff! How dare you! When we get back home you are getting the beating of your life and you'll never ever come out of yo.....Ah!"
They called him the boy-who-lived, the Savior, the Chosen One. He just wanted to be the-boy-who-was-left-alone. Sitting on the train on its way to Hogwarts Harry did his best to ignore the red head sitting across from him. The boy had been awestruck when Harry had introduced himself, now he wouldn't stop babbling about how poor his family was and how he was sure Harry had the best cauldrons and a new Nimbus 2000.
*Does the red hatchling ever close its mouth?* came an annoyed hiss from under Harry's jacket.
Harry chuckled and looked over to the red head who had quieted at the hiss. The head of his green viper companion poked out at his shoulder and glared at the red head, *Apparently he only shuts up in the presence of a snake Nagini.*
She gave a short nod, *Then I shall make myself known.* she slid off of Harry and onto the seat next to him, *Cast my warm spot hatchling.* she demanded.
*Yes Mistress.* Harry laughed casting the wand less heating charm that Nagini had taught him a month after she came to live with him. She had been the first, in fact, to tell him that he was a wizard. She had been teaching him to channel raw magic like she did as her magical viper self. Despite being a snake she was a great teacher and Harry had taken to the small charms with ease.
Nagini settled in the warmth charm with her head angled at the red head, *The red hatchling smells of fear.*
Harry laughed, *Then he has some smarts. You aren't a harmless little garden snake after all.*
*No I'm not.* she said with a pleased hiss.
"You’re a parselmouth!" The red head squeaked.
Harry frowned, "Is that what it's called? Nagini just calls me a speaker."
The red head was quivering now, "It's a dark art! You’re a dark wizard!" He screamed, pressing back into the seat.
Harry frowned, "I most certainly am not!"
*Is the red hatchling threatening you?* Nagini hissed, the red head got up and took his stuff before bolting from the compartment.
Harry frowned, *I'm not sure. Being a Dark Wizard doesn't sound good.*
*Do not worry hatchling, it is simply silly prejudices created by frightened humans.* Nagini hissed settling down for the ride.
Harry looked at her, then nodded, *If you say so viper.*
After being sorted into Slytherin in the Great Hall of the magnificent Hogwarts, Harry was approached by a tall, bearded man wearing robes with little white clouds floating on them. "Harry Potter." The man said with a smile, "Let me tell you how wonderful it is to finally have you in our school. I am the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore."
Harry looked up at the man warily, he felt off and if Nagini had taught him nothing else, she taught him to trust his instincts. "Pleasure." He said shortly, not offering a hand to the man, "Is there something wrong?"
Dumbledore gave him a small smile, "I hate to be a stickler on the first day but I was informed you have a snake as a pet. That is against school policy."
Harry raised an eyebrow, "I had not heard that snakes were prohibited."
Dumbledore tilted his head, "Not prohibited per say, just not on the approved list of animals."
Harry put his hands behind his back and pulled out the blank expression Nagini insisted that he practice, "The approved list being an owl, a cat, or a toad if I remember correctly headmaster."
Dumbledore nodded, "Very good, yes. Those are accepted animals."
"What about a rat, tarantula, or a hamster?" Harry asked.
"They are not approved." Dumbledore said.
"Then do you intend to take away those pets from the students I saw that had them on the train?" Harry asked, "I overheard the girl with the hamster. She said her 'little buddy' was excited to be returning to the school for his fourth year. I assume that means she was allowed to have it last year."
The Headmaster's jaw locked, "A hamster is quite different from a venomous snake."
Harry tilted his head, "How do you know she is venomous? And if that is your worry what of the student with the tarantula? They have venom and can cause gaping wounds with their thick fangs." The Headmaster looked to be gritting his teeth, "I at the very least have the means to control my snake."
"Is that so?" Dumbledore gritted.
Harry nodded and Nagini chose that moment to peer out from under his robes and flick her tongue out to scent the Headmaster. *He is angry.*
Harry cocked his head at Dumbledore, "There is no need to be angry Headmaster. I am simply stating my case to keep the only friend I've ever had with me. I want a legitimate reason why I cannot keep a venomous snake that I can control when others are allowed venomous pets that they cannot control."
"You admit that it is venomous then?" Dumbledore said tersely.
"She is very venomous. But so is a tarantula." Harry said, "As I stated previously."
Dumbledore opened and closed his mouth before trying, "Don't you think you should make some human friends?"
Harry frowned, "You’re asking me to send my one true friend away for the mere possibility that I may get new friends?" Dumbledore looked torn.
"Harry the other students may be uncomfortable with the idea of sharing their room with a snake." Dumbledore said as a last try.
Harry laughed, "Headmaster I was just sorted into the House represented by snakes. After assuring them that she will listen to me and only act out to protect me I'm sure they will be thrilled to have a true snake among us."
Dumbledore's eye twitched and Harry felt something sinister from the man, "You overestimate Slytherin student’s love of snakes." The man said sharply, "If you insist on keeping your snake you will be housed in separate rooms to protect the other students. If your snake is caught going through the school without you or harms a student directly or indirectly I will personally throw her from the premises." He said with a pleased smirk before turning on his heel and making to leave.
Harry laughed, "She always comes back headmaster." He spun in time to avoid the returning Headmaster and followed the line of sliver and green robes down to the dungeon.
*Well done hatchling.* Nagini said, *You have established the beginnings of power in this nest.*
Harry grinned, it was going to be an interesting first year.
And it was. Despite the Headmasters attempt to isolate them, Harry and Nagini were well loved and feared by the Slytherin students. They had taken to calling Harry, Lord Potter and Nagini, Venom, which pleased her to no end. Whenever they spoke in the common room all eyes turned to them and listened even if they couldn't comprehend the hissing. They had become the head of the ceremonial march within two weeks of arriving and most deferred to their judgement on things. Harry was helping the upper years with wand less magic and they were, in turn, teaching him traditions and ways of the wizarding world that Nagini had not be able to teach him.
There was a lot of commotion at the school during the year. A troll broke in and Harry destroyed it with a burst of raw magic after watching the thing almost step on Nagini. Harry found the Mirror of Erised that showed him and Nagini with a tall man with brown hair and red eyes, holding several objects with smiles on their faces. And toward the end, there were rumors from the nosy Gryffindors that someone was drinking Unicorn blood and trying to steal something from the school.
Harry’s scar throbbed at the mention. So with Nagini wrapped around him as always, Harry allowed his instincts to take over and get him through the trials set between him and discovering the mysterious thief. When he came to a chamber ringed with flames he saw Professor Quirrell standing before a familiar mirror. *He tastes like my Master.*
Harry frowned, *I thought you said your Master was dead.*
Nagini nodded, *He is but that can't-talk two legs smells like he has Master with him.*
Harry tilted his head and frowned; his scar pulsed, "Why are you here?"
Quirrell spun, "Potter! I'm just...."
"I'm not talking to you." Harry said, rolling his eyes, "I'm talking to Nagini's Master."
Quirrell blinked, "The Savior has the Dark Lords Familiar?" He said looking stricken, "The Chosen One is Dark?"
Harry frowned, "Don't call me that."
Quirrell narrowed his eyes at Harry, "You must give my Lord's Familiar back now!" He ran at Harry but Nagini lunged out and bit him in the throat before he could touch Harry.
Harry watched wide eyed as the man lay dying at his feet, choking on his own blood and shaking as the venom ate through his nerves. *Nagini I think your Master was possessing him! Now your Master will have to go through all of that again.*
Nagini hissed angrily, *If my Master wants to come back he can possess someone who won't hurt my hatchling!*
Harry smiled softly, *Thank you Nagini.* the viper gave a short nod, he prodded the body with his foot, *What do we do with him? If Dumbledunce comes down and finds this he'll try to throw you out again.*
Nagini gave a low hiss of thought, *Do you remember the decay magic I taught you?*
Harry nodded, *Yes, but that might still hold the traces of your venom.* he cocked his head as his scar throbbed again, *Can we turn him to dust?*
Nagini let out her low happy hiss, *Good suggestion hatchling.* she quickly told him of how she would often transform plants into basking stones. Harry followed her instructions and soon enough was able to turn Quirrell to stone before destroying him, a vague shape of a head rose from the dust and charged at them before disappearing.
Harry shook his head, *I'm going to need one hell of a story for this.* Nagini snickered.