Wrong, All Wrong

Part title

Slowly and tentatively I opened my eyes to find myself still wrapped in Harry's arms. We were still sitting on the floor in front of the now open door to the hallway. I wanted to smile at Harry but seeing Uncle Severus, Uncle Sirius, and Mother standing in the doorway made me cringe slightly. Mother and Uncle Sirius looked worried though Mother sent a few small glances at Harry every now and then. Uncle Severus was just staring at me in his I-can-see-right-through-you gaze that unnerved the heck out of me. After a moment I noticed my hands were still clutching my head and lowered them to my side, one arm ending up around Harry's shoulders.

Uncle Sirius was the first to speak. "Aster, are you okay?" He bent down and reached out for me but stopped himself. Harry had tightened his hold on me and was glaring at Uncle Sirius.

Mother went for a different approach. She kneeled down on the floor next to us and kept space between us. "Aster, are you all right?"

I nodded back at Mother, disentangling myself from Harry. "Yeah, I'm all better now. Just a little headache."

"Would it have anything to do with this?" Uncle Severus held out his hand, Saphyr still coiled on top of it.

My first reaction was to move to call out Saphyr's name but Harry stopped me with a preventive thought. Even though the communication was done telepathically something must have shown on my face as Uncle Severus did his ever-so-often eyebrow-raised expression at me. I remembered that Mother and Father used to always tell me that Parselmouths were bad people and that the talent was a Dark one. While I wasn't all too keen on following the ethics I was raised with anymore, the majority of people's reactions to snakes by themselves didn't create a pretty picture. I concluded that the fact that the Boy-Who-Lived and his twin have the ability to speak Parseltongue should be best kept secret.

I got to my feet and held my hands underneath Uncle Severus' outstretched one. Saphyr gracefully slithered from Uncle Severus' hand to my own and circled around my wrist while Harry had gotten to his feet behind me. Mother and Uncle Sirius soon followed his example.

With Harry's help I remembered to concentrate on speaking English before replying to Uncle Severus. "Her name's Saphyr. Isn't she cool?" I grinned at the older man, knowing full well that I had not answered his question. Just a few weeks ago I would never have imagined so openly defying an adult, however recent events were skewing many of my perceptions on my conduct with adults. Harry and I went to sit at the kitchen table.

Ever since I rescued Harry everything changed. Ever since I rescued Harry I felt a little more confident in my own decisions. Ever since I rescued Harry I felt that the 'good little robot savior' was gone now. Ever since I rescued Harry I felt complete.

It felt great.

Thankfully Uncle Severus decided not to press the issue of Saphyr and my 'headache'. He turned and stalked out of the kitchen muttering something about 'purchasing ingredients' and 'escaping insufferable children'. Even with his muttering I saw the furtive glance he had sent Mother and Uncle Sirius and saw Mother nod back at him. Mother and Uncle Sirius stood in the kitchen and the four of us stared at each other for a while, not knowing what to do next. My grin faded away and I wondered what was going to happen. Life was so unpredictable now.

Something caught Mother's eye and she stepped towards me. "Aster, may I see your pendant?" Wordlessly I nodded and handed her the Emergency Portkey pendant. She dangled the pendant from one hand, letting the diamond shaped jewel hang in the air. As she pointed her wand at it, she whispered something and a beam of light shot out and hit the pendant. Underneath the jewel of the pendant a misty list began to form, though a very short list. Home, Room, and Emergency made up the short list. Mother waved her wand across the word 'Home' and the address for Godric's Hollow appeared next to it. She replaced the address with the address of Uncle Severus' home and changed the address of 'Room' to be the same with the addition of 'Guest bedroom #3'. The 'Emergency' destination I knew to be St. Mungo's Hospital. Another flourish of Mother's wand and she was holding two pendants instead of one.