Snake Boy

5 - The Dark Lord

Oma hovered, taunting the Cobra. Nagini struck again, getting close, when the Syren fluttered her wings in such a way as to flip in mid air, her fangs sinking deep behind the flared hood shooting venom deeply into the bloodstream.

And then it was over. His companion for the last thirty-odd years lay dead at his feet.

Draco fell to his knees, gathering the little Syren up against his stomach. He bowed low over her, hiding the serpent and stuttering his apologies.

Tom looked around the throne room seeing the fear, and in Lucius' case terror, written so clearly on their faces.

He stood and Draco fell silent. The whole room was deathly quiet as the Dark Lord stepped down from the throne and gathered up Nagini's corpse.

"It is alright Draco, Lucius. Oma is not at fault. In fact she was rather forgiving. Nagini picked the fight and threatened you Draco...I must ask your forgiveness young Malfoy. I should have realized Nagini's instability might lead to something like this and prevented it. I will endeavor to correct this breach of honor to your family. You are guests in my home and my familiar..."

Tom stopped. The emptiness in the back of his head where the bond with Nagini had been ached. His whole body ached.

"If you will excuse me gentlemen."

The assembled "Death Eaters" as they had been called, nodded and Tom tried to ignore their expressions of fear and uncertainty. He hated this, hated what had been done to him and what he had in turn done to his followers. These men had loved him, once upon a time, regaining their trust would take a long time, if it was even possible at this late date.

He made his way to his private chambers, the cobra's body cradled in his arms and his Potions Master, Severus Snape, following silently.

"Shall I summon Poppy, My Lord?" the dour man asked quietly.

"Are we back to that Severus?"

"I am sorry Tom. Losing a familiar is not an easy thing under the best of circumstances, and these are certainly not those."

The Dark Lord sighed, standing uncertainly in the middle of the room feeling lost and not a little bit scared. He was unfamiliar with such feelings and was ill equipped to deal with them.

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Severus Snape watched his Lord anxiously. This was a delicate time for the Wizard and a loss such as this could destroy all the progress they had made in the last year.

Seeing his indecision, Severus quietly summoned a house elf. It disappeared after receiving whispered instructions and reappeared a few minutes latter bearing what resembled a hat box.

The Potions Master took the box, dismissing the elf and moved to the small dining table near the fireplace.

"Come Tom, I have something for you."

Tom shuffled over, his face starting to go from confused to blank. Severus cursed under his breath as he opened the box. Tom hadn't had one of his catatonic episodes in almost six months and if he had one now, after such a trauma, he might not wake up again.

From the box he pulled a heavily carved black marble urn with an equally carved lid and placed it gently on the table. A small spark of interest entered Tom's brown eyes making the darker man sigh in relief.

"This is beautiful Severus, wherever did you find it?"

"I came across it last year in Egypt. It is a funerary jar, generally used for feline familiars, but in this case all the carvings were of serpents. The seller told me that when the remains are placed inside, a miniature of the creature will appear at the base of the jar. It serves as a sort of Wizard's portrait only more so, having all the memories of the animal up to the point of death. The miniature will be able to move all over the jar, but not off of it."