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It was dinner time. Everybody in the Great Hall were chattering away. Umbridge was lording over the table next to Dumblerdore and Severus. Severus looked like he wanted to murder either himself or her. Harry, Hermione and Ron were sitting next to each other, talking with Fred, George and Ginny. Pansy and Blaise were gossiping with Theo and Daphne. Draco was sitting next to them, quiet and in his own world.
BANG!
The Great Hall froze. Multiple Death Eaters were just lounging around. Lucius and Narcissa seemed to be standing around somewhere. Bellatrix, Rodoluphus and Rabastan appeared with a couch. Voldemort and Nagini had appeared sitting on his throne like chair. Draco froze. Harry froze. Dumbledore froze. Even Umbridge froze. "What the fuck?" Pansy asked. "Language." Draco said absentmindely, still staring at his father and mother. Nagini seemed to want to make his way to someone but Voldemort stopped her. A note fell from the ceiling. "You're here to see something that happened over the summer holidays. Do not fight. Your magic has been temporarily blocked. If you use muggle means, I WILL FIND YOU! Thank you." Hermione read out. "Let's start then? Since I don't think we'll be let free until we finish." Hannah said. "Fine." Lucius muttered. Bellatrix scoffed and Rabastan rolled his eyes.
She's not a pet rock
"That's the most random title ever." Ron stated.. "Really Weasley? I didn't realise. I thoguth that title was normal." Draco sassed, looking annoyed.
Draco liked snakes, any kind of reptile really, but one of his favorites were definitely snakes, second only to dragons of course.
"It's about my son?" Lucius and Narcissa asked at the same time. "It seems so." Dumbledore said, looking serene.
He still remembered begging his parents day and night for a pet dragon, when that didn’t go over he asked for a pet snake, then for a lizard, any lizard, none were gifted to him. Draco understood now that magical reptiles were dangerous and not a good pet for a child. It still left him wishing for one though, books could only do so much after all.
Maybe that’s why, when he crossed paths with her in the middle of the night, he couldn’t help but stop for a moment. Her scales shined under the moonlight entering through the tall windows, slowly trekking through the manor, quiet, deathly, beautiful.
"What?" Bellatrix and Rodolphus asked at the same time. Draco froze before let out a sigh. "Oh. It's that night." He said. "What night?" Narcissa asked hurridely. "Were you in danger? Were you safe? Are you ok?" She fired off the questions rapidly. "I was fine mother. Don't worry." Draco said, comforting his mom.
He thought, maybe, he could just stop for a minute and watch her as she left, it was just a little break, he could go back to the more lived in spaces of the manor, to Aunt Bella, to Him, later. He could stay here and forget about all that just for tonight.
Draco leaned against the wall as she slowly traveled through, tongue smelling the air, head lifting every so often and looking around. She was lazily moving, doing long zigzags with her body, so it took him a while to realize that Nagini stopped, that Nagini was staring at him.
"Nagini??" Lucius asked, looking worried. "I was fine." Draco stated. Harry was confused, Hermione had her eyes narrowed. Severus sucked in a long breath before exhaling quietly.
Curiosity, he had found many times, didn’t equal to fearlessness. This was still a 4-meter-long snake going towards him, a man-eating snake, his mind reminded him. And he was still a pampered brat whose bubble had recently popped.
Snakes stared when they looked for food, he had read many times about a snake staring intently at its caretaker until they relented, and he was certain that Nagini didn’t see him as a provider. A man-eating snake who swallowed Professor Burbage, he remembered. Other Death Eaters always cleared the halls when she was present, and he was now going to die thanks to some stupid childish curiosity.
Severus flinched. Dumbledore closed his eyes while Umbridge raised an eyebrow. Harry's mouth fell open while Bellatrix started cackling, causing Neville to flinch and shrink into himself.
She was now at his feet, looking up at him. Draco considered kicking it and making a run for it, but even if he could outrun her, his actions would definitely be the death of him at His hands, it would just be a worse end for him. Besides, he thought as she smelled him, could he really be faster than her? Pythons weren’t supposed to be fast; they didn’t need to be to catch prey, but then again, they weren’t supposed to be poisonous either.
"Do not kick her. I swear Draco, do not kick her." Lucius pleaded, looking at his son, who only pursed his lips. "You thought abobut killing my snake?" Voldemort rumbled, looking annoyed. Nagini hissed quietly at him. Harry couldn't hear her but Voldemort withdrew his magic slowly.
“Hi-” He cut himself off, his voice almost broke and his hands wouldn’t stop shaking. She kept staring at him. “Are- What- Exploring the manor I see?” It was a last-ditch attempt, but he did know about Parseltongue, he knew that serpents could speak it, he knew that a snake could answer to it, that if it had enough magical interactions it could even start conversations on its own. Along with other mutations apparently.
It was almost funny, how in his last moments he still thought about the science of it all. She was scaling through his leg and through all the panic in his mind he kept wondering about the difference between snakes and serpents, did snakes look for magical energy? Did they still yearn for what evolution took from them? Why could they make that leap, was it because they didn’t differ much from serpents? Did they simply evolve to appear non-magical when needed? Were some snakes unable to make the leap like serpents were?
"Are you seriously thinking about how she might kill you?" Theo asked incredously. "It was either that or passing out." Draco said.
Draco shivered when he felt scales on his skin, his soft pajamas straining as the body warped around his torso under the silk and he couldn’t help extending his arm as she crawled out of the sleeve. Was she going to start by his fingers? He was starting to question if this was truly any better than being killed through excessive use of cruciatus.
But then she just… stopped, curled around his hand, rested her head on his palm, and stayed there. He could feel muscles contracting around him, they held tighter, and he could feel the head pressing closer to his fingers, almost like-
“Oh." He whispered. “You’re cold.”
"Merlin's saggy balls, he tamed the 4ft man eating snake." Blaise said in disbelief.
Nagini didn’t answer¿, but Draco was too mesmerized to mind it. The patterns on her skin were so easy to see this close, a black web of scales around diamond-like patches of greenish brown and golden yellow. His hand slowly lifted, a soft touch following the lines. Nagini moved slightly but didn’t do anything to stop him.
She was cold to the touch, and smooth, he could feel every little move under her skin. Such a big animal was resting on top of him, was letting him pet her. “You’re so pretty.” He mumbled.
"She might still kill you, y'know?" Pansy asked, staring at her best friend. Draco only shrugged.
“What are you doing child?”
"My heart." Harry said, clutching his chest as he jumped several feet in the air at the sudden noise. He wasn't the only one. Several others had lept up in surprise.
“My lord!” Draco would have jumped if it weren’t for the sixty kilograms of snake keeping him down.
Draco’s eyes immediately dropped to the floor. Of course this had to happen, of course this moment wouldn’t last long. And now his damn arm was starting to fall asleep too.
The Dark lord seemed content to simply stare at him, he could feel those eyes burning into him. “I must admit, of all the people I’ve seen, you’re the first to be so calm about being eaten.” Draco blinked, surprised.
"I don't think she was trying to eat him." Daphne muttered. Terry, who overheard, nodded.
“Oh- I- I don’t think she’s trying to eat me, she’s just resting.” He said, still petting lightly at the parts around his neck, with how still she was she could even be asleep, but he couldn’t really tell.
“Resting.”
“Yes… uh- Yes, my lord.”
More silence answered him, he didn’t dare look up. Severus’ warnings echoed in his mind, warnings of Legilimens, of avoiding eyes that could easily pierce through the most skilled of Occlumency walls and could definitely pierce through his like a wet paper towel.
"Severus." Voldemort stated. "Sorry, My lord. I was merely warning him against everyone. Not you." Severus said calmly.
His arm was shaking now. “I… could get her back to her enclosure for you, my lord.”
He walked up, stopping in front of him, looking down at His prey. Fuck, he messed up. Fuck, of course the Dark lord wouldn’t let him come close to His pet snake’s enclosure. Shit. “Her enclosure?”
“Um…” The Dark lord made no move to elaborate the question. “Uh… yes, where-” How could he ask this without it sounding patronizing? “The enclosure where she’s sleeping. My lord.”
He huffed in amusement. “Do you mean the pillows in my bedroom?”
"That was basically an equivalent to a laugh. Did you just make the Dark Lord laugh, Draco Lucius Malfoy?" Pansy prodded, looking at him. Draco thought it over. "I guess I did." He finally murmured.
The. What.
His mouth opened, then closed, then opened again without making a sound. Was this a test? It had to be right?
“…So,” He finally said after a little too long pause. “she doesn’t have an enclosure.”
“No, I suppose not-”
“And she’s sleeping. On the floor.”
"HOW DARE YOU? NOBODY INTERRUPTS MY LORD WHEN HE IS SPEAKING!" Belltrix shrieked. Neville curled up furthur into himself. Ginny gently wrapped him in a slight hug. "Bellatrix." Voldemort hissed. She snarled but sat back down.
The magic around him turned heavy, making him stiffen. Right, the Dark lord. “I would advise, for your safety, to not interrupt me ever again, child.”
“Yes, my lord. I apologize.” He bowed.
The man looked down at him, reveling as he squirmed under Him. But he couldn’t just excuse himself to hide for another day in his room; he had His pet snake draped over him still.
Draco bit his lip. “May I ask what heating spells the pillows have my lord?”
A pause. “And why, pray tell, would they have them?”
Draco discretely face palmed, looking all the while of an annoyed mom.
Circe give him strength.
"Circe did not give me strength." Draco stated, voice muffled slightly by his hands.
“My lord.” He took a deep breath. “Are you aware that snakes are cold-blooded? And that they need some kind of external heating to be kept at their ideal temperature?” Seriously had this man never picked up a book on snake care?
The Dark lord growled at him. “I have known her for sixteen years. She can tell me what she needs on her own just fine.”
Merlin. Draco dragged a hand through his face. You clearly don’t listen to her enough then.
Voldemort raised an eyebrow while Lucius looked like he was about to start writing up Draco's funeral. "Are you stupid?" Severus asked from the staff table. "I didn't think my thoughts were going to be put on blast in front of everyone!" Draco defended himself.
The crushing atmosphere came back full force, and for His red eyes somehow grew darker, angrier-
Oh.
Oh no.
Draco backed away, back crashing against the wall, watching as the Dark lord slowly stalked closer. No need to hurry, Draco wouldn’t run, he knew better.
He heard a hiss from his left.
"What?" Ron asked. "I don't know." Hermione admitted, looking annoyed that she didn't understand what was going on.
The Dark lord stopped, but his eyes kept pinning him in place as he answered.
Her head lifted from his hand, she drew a long hiss, staring directly at the man in front of them. When the Dark lord turned to her, she made herself even taller.
His arm was going to break off.
"Draco. Let her go." Narcissa said. "I couldn't just drop a man eating snake in front of her owner!" Draco protested.
But he didn’t dare interrupt as their conversation got louder, the hisses drawing longer and longer, His glare somehow deepening.
Nagini positioned herself in front of him, head to her neck, neck to his chest. The argument kept getting louder, and Draco had never wished to be a Parselmouth as much as that moment.
Finally, the Dark lord let out a sigh mixed with a hiss and went back to look at him. “Moving forward you’ll be her main servant to meet all her needs.” He said, Draco had never heard Him sound so frustrated before. “We shall see how long luck stays on your side boy. Do not fail me.”
"WHAT???" Everybody practically screamed. "What?" Draco asked, looking around oblivously. "You're taking care of the Voldemort's snake." Susan asked. "The same snake he never let's out of his sight." Rabastan put in. "Uh huh." Draco said.
“Yes, my lord.” He bowed.
He heard as the Dark lord went on and waited a few seconds after His footsteps had faded before making his way back to his room.
Nagini curled herself back on his arm, but Draco only had half the mind for that until he slammed the tall wooden doors shut and locked himself inside. His breathing has uneven, his knees buckled, but a cold body of scales moved and rearranged over himself.
Draco barely reached the bed, sitting straight without bothering to undress.
Softly put down his arm, watching as she moved from his arm to his crossed legs, curling up the top part of her body, Draco would have pet her if he could feel his arm.
He wiggled the fingers on his other hand, they moved. He took a deep breath, air filled his lungs and left them. He blinked; his eyes responded.
Yes, he was almost certain that he was alive, intact in fact. He looked down at Nagini resting peacefully on his lap. His hand petted her again, and she curled up even further.
“…This is the best day of my life.”
"Are you crazy? What happened to self preservation??" Millicent asked. "She was cute!" Draco protested again. Nagini took this as an oppurtunity to start slithering across the ground. Several students shrieked and pulled up their legs, but she paid them no mind. She slid up the Slytherin table and onto Draco, curling her body gently around his torso until her head rested against his, her body coiled around him. She visibly untensed, her scales shifting slightly before she flicked her tongue and went slack. "Hey girl." Draco muttered quitely, stroking her scales. Lucius looked like he was about to have a heart attack. Narcissa wasn't far off.
Suddenly, all the Death Eaters and Voldemort disappeared, leaving only Nagini and everybody in Hogwarts left.
"WHAT THE FUCK???" Pansy shrieked. Draco sighed.
This is gonna take a while. He thought.