A New Snake

Chapter 12

         

Christmas was the morning after the Yule Ball, but Harry wasn't really looking forward to it. It would show him exactly who had a problem with him being in Slytherin. But when Lily rushed into his dorm and started to bounce on his bed, "Get up, Harry! Up! Up! Up! It's Christmas! It's time for presents!" Harry sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and she got off his bed and ran to her room. He looked at the foot of his bed, not expecting to find much, but found more than the year before. Lily came running in, levitating her own gift behind her. Both of his roommates were with their group of friends, so he didn't have to worry about bothering them. They began opening their presents together. Lily got a book about potions ingredients and a beautiful snake necklace from her father.

Harry dug through, looking for—and having little hope of finding—one particular present. He stopped when he saw the lumpy little parcel he had become so used to receiving. His eyes welled up with tears as he gingerly unwrapped the wrapper to uncover a Slytherin Green jumper with a silver 'H' on the front. Underneath the jumper was a hearty box of chocolate frogs and a letter. The letter said:

Dear Harry,

Don't you worry about being re-sorted into Slytherin. Arthur and I don't mind at all, dear. We hope you find new friends in your new house as well as keeping in touch with the old one. You are always welcome in our home whenever need be. And, if you would like, we would be willing to represent your family in the coming tasks. It's terrible what has happened to you with this Tournament, but we promise to support you the best way we can. If Ron causes any more trouble or any of the other Weasley children cause any trouble, do not hesitate to owl us immediately. And, again, remember, you always have a home at the Burrow.

With Love,

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley

Harry cried and clutched the home-made sweater to his chest. He had hoped they would be understanding, but they all seemed to be so against Slytherin that he wasn't sure. He wouldn't have to stay at the Dursleys' all summer. He got to go back to the Burrow. He was so happy, he almost forgot about Lily and his other presents.

"What's wrong, Harry? What is it?" She asked concernedly.

"It's nothing." He said in a watery voice, wiping his face with a grin to rival a Hufflepuff's. "I'm just happy. Let's keep opening presents."

From Hagrid, he got a tin of rock cakes, which he gingerly pulled away from Lily's hands, vowing to put them out of sight—and therefore out of mind. From Hermione, he, of course, got some books. One about defense spells—very practical—one about the history and care of brooms—again, practical—and the last was called "The Lesser Known of Slytherin Histories"—still very practical. He put them aside and found the Dursleys' sparse gift. Inside was a single, used pencil and one pound note. He sighed and tossed the "gifts" to the side, more than ready to move on. He was surprised to find gifts from many of the Slytherins. The Twins had given him a large box of practical jokes they'd been developing. Even Ron sent a box of fudge with a lengthy apology letter saying he wanted to still be friends. If he had been made to do it, it wouldn't have nearly as long as it was. It was surprisingly genuine. All in all, it was a pretty great Christmas morning.

The two walked to breakfast together, Harry wearing his new jumper, and Lily reading the book from her father. Harry stopped by the Gryffindor table to thank the Twins for their gifts and thank Ron for his apology. Even face-to-face, he seemed to really mean it. All the other Gryffindors apologized as well, and he moved on to the Ravenclaw table. He thanked Hermione for the books, assuring her that he would definitely be reading them. He then joined Lily and his other Slytherin Friends at their House Table. He ate happily, laughing with his friends, and happy he was able to move past thoughts of the Tournament for now.

~ ~ ~ ~

The next task came just before spring would start showing its face. Cedric's tip to listen to the egg under water had been a huge help, and so had Dobby when he brought Harry the Gillyweed. It was now February, a lonely Valentine's Day passed Harry without much to show for it. He mostly stayed in his dorm to hide from all the Valentine's Day gifts he got.

"Poor Potter. Gets so many Valentine's gifts, he has to hide in his dorm." Malfoy waltzed into the room carrying an expensive looking box of chocolate in a language Harry didn't understand. Clearly from his parents.

"I assure you, Malfoy. A majority of the chocolates I get are laced with love potions. I'm not interested in being drugged by some idol-crazed girls. I'd rather have nothing at all."

Malfoy poked his head out of the dorm room door and sifted through the growing pile of presents. "There's one here from Lilith. Also, one from those Weasley Twins. Though they seem to favor you, I'm sure even you are not safe from their pranks. I'd be careful about that one." Harry nodded and said he'd go through them later and find ones he knew would be okay.

Now he stood on the dock with the other Champions at the Great Lake. Everyone else had made their way into the stands, ready for an hour of watching the surface of the lake. It was obvious it would still be cold out. Why didn't they wait to do this task when it was warmer? They had all year. Harry could have sworn they were trying to kill them as he stood shivering in his uniform. This one was different than the uniform for the dragons. This one was made for the water. Speaking of which, the water looked murky, mysterious, and not at all inviting. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley stood with him. Ron had stopped by with the Twins before they joined Gryffindor. Hermione and Lily were nowhere in sight. He thought they would want to come to make sure he was okay in the end. But he couldn't worry about that right now.

He could feel the slimy Gillyweed in his jacket pocket. His stomach was in knots. Mostly because there was no certainty that it would work. Then what would he do? Also, what was under the lake? Harry had looked through his things and hadn't found anything missing. So what could the missing object be?

Sooner than Harry would have liked, Dumbledore's voice rang out, announcing the second task, following it with the rules and objective. Just before the canon blew, Harry shoved the Gillyweed in his mouth and began to chew. It felt as slimy in his mouth as it had in his pocket. Then the canon blew and he dove into the water with the other Champions. For one horrifying moment, he thought the Gillyweed wasn't going to work. He would have to forfeit. There was nothing else he could do at such a short amount of time.

Then his hands and feet began to transform. Webs—quite like a duck's foot—began to grow between his digits. His neck felt strange, and when he reached up to see what it was, he felt gills under his fingers. He let out a breath of relief, and breathed in victoriously. He began swimming as fast as he could—which was pretty bloody fast with webbed hands and feet. He encountered nothing on the way to the deepest part of the lake where small, friendly water creatures and merpeople were pointing him. Finally, he reached his destination and suddenly understood why none of his things had been missing.

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