Chapter Text
The first days of summer were always the best. Harry's chore list swapped from indoor drudgery to the outdoors, and the weather was refreshing rather than muggy. As long as the lawn was mowed, the weeds were plucked, and the hedges trimmed, Harry could disappear and no one would care. The Dursleys certainly wouldn't miss him. Out of sight was definitely out of mind, and they loved to brag about their award winning yard.
The worst Harry had to worry about was Dudley and his gang. To avoid them, he would do most of his chores in the morning, and then make his escape when they came in for lunch. He wasn't going to be fed, so he might as well get out of range while they were occupied.
Harry's favorite place to hide was in the middle of an oversized shrub close to a man made pond at the edge of a nearby park. As an undersized nine year old, it was easy to shimmy under the lower branches. He wasn't scared of bugs and the occasional green snake slithering through never bothered him. It was quiet, cool, and there was no way Dudley could get at him.
School had been out for a couple weeks at this point, and Harry only had the calluses on his hands and a few lumps and bruises from his cousin. Much better than this time last year, when aunt Marge's dog had attempted to take a chunk out of his leg. He'd been confined to his cupboard while he recovered, and had missed most of the good weather because of that.
Sprawled out on his stomach, hands tucked under his chin, Harry stared at a miniscule path in the weeds coming from the pond. There was a new snake in the neighborhood and he wanted to meet it. He'd overheard a couple snakes gossiping about the new one the week before, and it was so rare to hear them discuss anything other than food that he'd immediately set the hedge clippers down to focus.
The new snake was big, bossy, and particularly antisocial. Which was saying something, coming from another snake. Harry's chuckle had startled them away before he could hear anything more detailed, but he'd caught enough to know that the new snake had taken over a large chunk of territory near the pond.
As far back as Harry could remember – from the very first time he'd been sent out to pull weeds as a toddler – he'd been able to understand snakes. No one else could, and he'd been sent to his cupboard and smacked around enough to know better than to tell his relatives. He'd read in a library book that snakes didn't have ears and communicated using pheromones, but when he listened they sounded like they were speaking English with a strong lisp. He knew the word lisp because he apparently had one. He wondered if it was because he spoke to snakes too much.
The new snake hadn't come by while Harry was there yet, but he just knew it would happen soon. Snakes loved to talk to Speakers. He knew that because they always told him how exciting it was to meet a Speaker. Their conversations were never enlightening, but they were the only ones ever excited to talk to him and so he cherished each and every one.
A snake who hated other snakes sounded really interesting, and so Harry continued to keep an eye out for it. He wondered if it would still be excited to speak with him. He hoped so.
Where iss it? A voice murmured out of sight. It musst be clossse.
“What are you looking for?” Harry eagerly asked. “I can help find it. I'm good at finding things.”
Silence for a moment, and then a green snout poked through the grass to his right. Iss that boy ssspeaking to me?
“Yes! I can hear you,” Harry said proudly. He didn't smile because he didn't want to look like a threat, but he wanted to.
The snake slithered closer – tongue flickering thoughtfully – before it raised its head up taller than his prone form. A Sspeaker? Where have you come from?
“Number 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging Surrey,” Harry recited dutifully. The school had taught them their addresses so they could get home if they got lost. Harry had been forgotten at the store twice before and been taken home by strangers. Dudley wasn't allowed to talk to strangers, but uncle Vernon had told Harry it was fine for him.
That meansss nothing to me, the snake said snootily. Where are your parentss, boy?
Harry shrugged. “They died when I was a baby. I live with my aunt and uncle.”
The snake stared at him with only the smallest flickers of its tongue. Harry knew that snakes didn't blink because they didn't have eyelids, but he bet if it could blink it wouldn't. Slowly, it slithered closer until its tongue tickled his elbow. It crept along his arm until its face was hovering at eye level.
There iss sssomething sstrange about you, it eventually said, pulling back to look down at him. You feel familiar, and yet we have never met.
“I would have remembered a snake like you,” Harry agreed cheerfully. “You're not like the others.”
Of courssse not. The snake scoffed. It leaned forward to flick its tongue next to his mouth.
Harry opened his mouth a little to stick his tongue out too. He giggled when the snake moved away. “Do you have a name? Some of the snakes do, but some don't.”
I am Lord Voldemort. It said imperiously, as if everyone should know that.
“Nice to meet you, my Lord.” It was silly to call a snake a lord, but he would happily do so if it pleased his new friend. “I'm Harry Potter.”
The snake immediately lunged forward, mouth open wide. Harry threw his arms up and it bit down on his wrist. It felt like being scratched with velcro. “Ow! Why are you hurting me? I didn't do anything!”
It released him after a moment, hissing irritatedly. You are the reason I am ssstuck in thiss form!
“But I just met you!” Harry yelled, propping himself up as high as he could manage without bumping his head on the low hanging branches. “How could I have done anything?”
It paused — head slowly swaying back and forth – before lowering itself back down into a coil. It was not intentional. You were too young.
“When did this happen?”
The snake flicked its tongue thoughtfully. Years ago. I do not expect you to remember.
“If you aren't a snake, then what are you?”
A great and powerful wizard–
“Magic isn't real–” Harry interrupted, just to leap back with a yelp when the snake lunged at him again. “I'm sorry!”
Do not interrupt!
“I won't do it again. I'm sorry.”
The snake stared for a moment before sinking down again. As I was sssaying, I am a great and powerful wizard. You will return me to my original form.
“But how? I don't have magic.”
The snake scoffed. It was a strange movement on a snake. It looked like it was gagging. Of coursse you have magic, foolish boy.
“My relatives–”
Are lying.
Harry cautiously leaned forward. “What do you mean? Everyone knows magic is made up. It's just fun for kids, like fairy tales.”
Do you think just anyone can Sspeak?
“I mean, I guess not? I don't know anyone else who can talk to snakes.”
Precissely. Even among magic ussersss, thosse who can Sspeak are few and far between. Before you, I had never met another Sspeaker.
“Really?” Harry asked softly. “It's just us?”
The snake nodded, something he had never seen one do before. They sat in silence for a moment, before Harry sighed. “I don't know how to do any magic, though. How am I supposed to help you?”
I will teach you.
“You can do that?”
The snake scoffed again. There iss no one better ssuited.
Harry nodded slowly after a moment. “Ok.”
Ok?
“Teach me. I want to help.”
The snake slithered onto his lap, and then climbed up his torso to lay across his shoulders. Go to the pond. There iss a good sspot in the sssun where we may ssit.
Harry giggled. His new friend may claim to not be a snake, but it certainly shared their interests.
Move, boy.
“Yes, my Lord.”