A small smile grazed Harrison's features as he imagined that he would finally be a part of the family, that his existence was finally acknowledged. Harrison raced downstairs, taking two steps at a time before he reached the door.
But it was no use.
By the time he got downstairs and out the door, the Potters had already forgotten about him. His family was eating cucumber sandwiches on the ground, busy having a conversation about "visiting a menagerie," "getting a new training wand," and "visiting the Weasleys," but they didn't acknowledge Harrison's existence, as he stood there, head pointed down and kicking a small pebble that laid next to his feet.
Harrison frowned, his fists clenched as he squeezed his eyes as tightly as he could before he turned around, his steps crunched underneath his feet as he walked on a pebble path.
Eventually, he found an isolated area in his mother's garden. He sat underneath a tall, oak tree- his small fingers grazing the grass, and picking up small sticks. The garden was quiet; isolated even and at least, he didn't have to hear the Potters talking about something. It was somewhere where he could be alone in his thoughts.
*Watch it,* someone hissed at him.
Harrison looked around the garden, expecting to see someone standing in front of him, but there was no one there. He looked in all directions, but still couldn't see the person who said that.
*Who said that?* Harrison questioned.
*Down here, stupid human.*
Harrison looked down at his feet, and saw a small garden snake covered in greenish-brown scales, and it's pink tongue flickering out, by his feet. Harrison almost wanted to scream, but bit his tongue as the snake flickered its]'s tongue at him in annoyance.
*I didn't know snakes could speak English,* Harrison mused.
*You're speaking parseltongue, human… The language of snakes.*
Harrison tested it out for himself, and while it sounded like English to him, but when he focused on what he was saying- he could actually hear the hissy sounds like a snake. A smile bursted out on his features as he desperately wanted to tell someone that he was able to talk to snakes! But he realized that it was a bad idea.
His family hated snakes. They were often associated with the dark, and his family associated themselves with anything light and snakes were not considered that. At that moment, he thought he would keep the ability of parseltongue and his new friend a secret away from them.
By the time he finished his tale, Draco had fallen silent. Harrison studied him, watching for any flash of emotions on his face, but nothing. He finally spoke,
"Did the Potters ever found out?"
"Now that would be another story for another time, Draco," Harrison tutted him, letting a small chuckle escape his lips as the blonde everlasting curiosity shown his side once more. "You only wanted to know about when I found out that I was parselmouth and I told you that… You didn't ask if anything happened after that."
"Please…"
"They did… How do you think the Potters just stood there, watching me getting dragged off."
He left Draco in digesting what he just said as Harrison left him sitting on his bed, and out of the common room. Chatter of conversations lingered in the common room, no one paid attention to him as he left the common room and through the dungeons.
He walked until he found an abandoned classroom where he could finally be alone in his thoughts. He hadn't thought about the snake in a long time. His first friend, but it was nice having something that was just personally his, but of course all good things came to an end.
He probably wasn't being subtle enough while he talked to the snake, or they were getting suspicious when he sat in the same part of the garden, for weeks at a time, his mouth opening partially. Somehow, Saeviour wandered over where he was in that little section of the garden- saw the snake, picked up a rock and bashed its head multiple times, leaving blood and a snake body no longer moving in its wake.
Lord Potter came rushing out of the manor, and pulled Harrison up by his hair. He slapped him senseless, pulling on his hair every time he did so.
He could still hear the words that Lord Potter said to him, "The Dark Lord is the only one who is able to speak to snakes and now you're impersonating him…Speaking to snakes is evil. You're not going to be a son of mine if you talk to snakes."
He then left Harrison in the garden with the dead snake in his hands as he made a make-shift grave for his last friend.
His fists clenched tightly as he remembered the first and possibly the last time he formed a sentimental connection to someone. Something in him broke that day, and began the crumbling of the trust and any sort of love that he held for the Potters that day.
....
Want to read ahead by more than 60 chapters. Then join my pa*treon now.
Link: pa*treon.com/Amelie796 (Remove the *)
Free members will get 2 chapters for free.