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lomonaaerenTitle: Familiarity Breeds
Disclaimer: J. K. Rowling and associates own these characters. I am writing this story for fun and not profit.
Pairing: Harry/Theo, mentions of background canon pairings
Content Notes: AU starting in fifth year, angst, bullying, snake Animagus Theo, violence, minor character death
Rating: PG-13
Wordcount: This part 1500
Summary: AU. When Harry finds a small snake crawling through the dungeons of Hogwarts, he takes it back to his dormitory to keep it warm and safe. Theo Nott, the snake in question, seizes the chance to observe Harry Potter in close quarters. What he finds surprises him.
Author’s Notes: This is one of my “Theo/Harry Confectionary,” or short Harry/Theo stories, being posed between the first of December and the winter solstice. Neyma requested Theo being a snake who gets to see Harry’s life with his friends firsthand when Harry picks him up. The second part will be posted tomorrow.
Familiarity Breeds
“Hello.”
Theo stopped and lifted his head. He had known there was someone ahead of him, walking with heavy steps, but he hadn’t paid much attention to how their footsteps differed from others’. When he was an adder like this, every human was bigger than he was, after all, and he was still learning how to sort through scents to find the familiar ones.
But Parseltongue? There would be only one human in the school who spoke that.
Theo coiled the upper half of his body off the floor, staring at Potter. Potter had a strange silvery cloak on that muffled his scent, but right now his hood was shoved back, which let Theo identify him. He crouched in front of Theo and studied him with none of the fear Theo would have expected.
Then again, maybe he simply didn’t have the sense to know an adder when he saw one.
Theo slithered a little closer. He hadn’t tried speaking Parseltongue in his Animagus form yet. He’d only mastered it this past summer, and he hadn’t met any other snakes. “Hello, Speaker.”
The form of address to Potter was natural, although more deferential than Theo would like. But Potter only looked delighted.
He extended his arm from under his cloak. “Would you like to come with me? I can keep you warm and safe in my den. Give you plenty to eat.”
It only took Theo a few minutes to decide. He had no plans. He had no friends. He had taken to wandering around in his snake form more and more often, and professors simply marked him absent. The only one who had noticed was Professor Snape, and he had given Theo one quiet warning about not messing with magic he didn’t understand and then ignored the absences.
Everyone else assumes a Death Eater’s son is already tainted.
Theo, in truth, was his own person and his own side. It couldn’t hurt to see what Potter was like in private moments, and whether he had anything to offer that might make Dumbledore’s side more attractive.
Theo writhed towards Potter. Potter showed his right arm, fearless. There was an odd scar on it that smelled of powerful magic. Theo let his tongue trace the air next to it as he climbed Potter’s arm and ducked beneath his cloak.
The scents were much stronger there, and Theo tasted and sampled the air as Potter rustled back towards Gryffindor Tower. It seemed that the cloak was special, since Potter’s footsteps also made his body shake when Theo was inside the cloak with him in a way they hadn’t made the floor shake.
Theo stretched his head along the back of Potter’s hand, and observed.
*
“Why do you have a snake, mate?”
“Well, people can’t hurt me worse than they already do, can they?”
Potter’s voice was thin and his smile was thin, but the arm he used to cradle Theo against his body wasn’t. Theo watched Granger and Weasley exchange glances. This close and at this angle, their major important features were Weasley’s sharp chin and the halo of hair around Granger’s face.
“No, I suppose they can’t,” Weasley said slowly. “But I still think that you shouldn’t show that thing around, mate.”
Theo enjoyed not being in his human form and not having to bristle. He had bristled so much of his life, from insults to him and Father and Slytherin House and his magic. But now he could simply be there and listen.
“I’ll conceal him.”
“How do you know it’s a him?” Granger asked.
“I just do,” Potter said. He made a motion as if he were going to shrug, but then seemed to remember that he had Theo depending on him. He put Theo carefully on his shoulder and waved his wand.
An impressive Disillusionment Charm settled around Potter’s shoulder. Theo flicked his tongue out and checked the taste of the magic. Yes, it was less powerful than the cloak, but it would do. Theo could accept this Disillusionment Charm.
“Come on, mate, let’s get to breakfast.”
Theo studied the way that Granger and Weasley walked on either side of Potter, grimly marching along like soldiers. Theo had not known that Potter could inspire others to be soldiers.
He would study this and investigate.
*
Potter was leading a secret Defense group.
Theo lay coiled on the little platform that Potter had made the room conjure for him, by some magic that Theo didn’t understand. He had got a few nervous glances from the members of Potter’s group since Potter had introduced him to them, but then they’d started practicing magic, and they had better things to concentrate on.
Several of them could do Patronus Charms.
Theo watched a silvery hare hop around, and a terrier materialize from Weasley’s wand. Granger was still practicing with a misty otter.
Potter, meanwhile, moved around from person to person, urging and cajoling and demonstrating and joking. Whenever someone faltered, he cast his own Patronus, a stamping silvery stag that would have made Theo coil defensively if he were on the floor.
Potter acted as though he wasn’t beaten down by Umbridge or people’s hatred of him here. Theo wished he knew how that was possible.
Theo had fled into his Animagus form, leaving his human life behind for days at a time, because of less targeted and concentrated hatred than Potter was experiencing. And yet Potter could smile and laugh and joke, and even some of the people who had doubted him, like Seamus Finnigan, were here and taking instructions from him.
Why?
Theo tucked his head into his coils, now and then sampling the air for scents, and pondered this.
*
“You have gone Dark!”
It seemed that Finnigan’s release from madness was only temporary, given that he was confronting Potter in the middle of the corridor between classes now. And over Theo, whom he had seen at the Defense group.
“What are you talking about?” Potter’s voice was tight, and his arm had come up to shield Theo, who was looped around his neck. Potter seemed to have subconsciously discerned the source of Finnigan’s ire even though he was asking about it.
He hadn’t cast the Disillusionment Charm that morning, Potter had explained to his friends, because he’d thought people could accept him with the snake after seeing Theo at the Defense Association practice. He probably should have known better.
“That snake! Why do you have a snake if you aren’t practicing Dark Arts?”
“What?”
“They can be done with a snake! Some of the important rituals need a snake! Or didn’t you know that?”
“No, actually, I didn’t. You seem pretty familiar with them, though, Seamus.”
Finnigan’s face grew bright and hot. He drew his wand and aimed it at Potter. Potter fell into an awkward dueling stance—awkward because he was still trying to shield Theo with an upraised arm.
Theo decided that was enough of that. He could be hurt in a duel where Potter was wearing him, and he didn’t particularly want to be the cause of Potter being hurt, either. He corkscrewed his body and lunged from Potter’s neck, leaving only enough of his tail hanging on that he wouldn’t fall.
His jaws snapped an inch from Finnigan’s face. The great idiot leaped backwards with a shriek, tripped, and landed on his arse.
A lot of the people who had been eagerly watching the confrontation, including Draco, laughed. Potter reached out his arm and let Theo wind around it, gently bringing him back to his neck.
“Thanks,” he said in Parseltongue, and some of the laughing people froze. But Potter seemed to have decided that he could safely ignore them. “You didn’t have to do that. Why did you do that?”
Strange that Potter didn’t think the snake he had spent time carrying around and catching mice for wouldn’t care enough to defend him. Theo turned so that his eyes were more or less level with Potter’s. “We might have been hurt.”
Potter’s smile grew fierce and wide. He turned to the people nearest him, who all backed hastily away, except for Weasley and Granger. “This is my familiar,” he said loudly. “If you try to hurt him, you’re trying to hurt me. All right?”
Theo paused. There was no hint of a familiar bond between them, and Potter had to know it. Why was he saying it?
To keep you safe, idiot.
“Since when do you have a snake familiar, Potter?” That was Draco, as loud and irritating as always.
“Since now.”
Potter turned slowly around, and the few people who stood near him backed hastily out of the way. Theo decided he could be dramatic as well as useful, and snapped his jaws to make the point.
“Right,” Potter said, apparently satisfied with his reception. “Leave him alone.” He walked down the corridor, looking down at Theo with a continued smile that no one had ever directed at him before.
Theo lay on Potter’s pillow that night, and thought very hard.
Disclaimer: J. K. Rowling and associates own these characters. I am writing this story for fun and not profit.
Pairing: Harry/Theo, mentions of background canon pairings
Content Notes: AU starting in fifth year, angst, bullying, snake Animagus Theo, violence, minor character death
Rating: PG-13
Wordcount: This part 1500
Summary: AU. When Harry finds a small snake crawling through the dungeons of Hogwarts, he takes it back to his dormitory to keep it warm and safe. Theo Nott, the snake in question, seizes the chance to observe Harry Potter in close quarters. What he finds surprises him.
Author’s Notes: This is one of my “Theo/Harry Confectionary,” or short Harry/Theo stories, being posed between the first of December and the winter solstice. Neyma requested Theo being a snake who gets to see Harry’s life with his friends firsthand when Harry picks him up. The second part will be posted tomorrow.
Familiarity Breeds
“Hello.”
Theo stopped and lifted his head. He had known there was someone ahead of him, walking with heavy steps, but he hadn’t paid much attention to how their footsteps differed from others’. When he was an adder like this, every human was bigger than he was, after all, and he was still learning how to sort through scents to find the familiar ones.
But Parseltongue? There would be only one human in the school who spoke that.
Theo coiled the upper half of his body off the floor, staring at Potter. Potter had a strange silvery cloak on that muffled his scent, but right now his hood was shoved back, which let Theo identify him. He crouched in front of Theo and studied him with none of the fear Theo would have expected.
Then again, maybe he simply didn’t have the sense to know an adder when he saw one.
Theo slithered a little closer. He hadn’t tried speaking Parseltongue in his Animagus form yet. He’d only mastered it this past summer, and he hadn’t met any other snakes. “Hello, Speaker.”
The form of address to Potter was natural, although more deferential than Theo would like. But Potter only looked delighted.
He extended his arm from under his cloak. “Would you like to come with me? I can keep you warm and safe in my den. Give you plenty to eat.”
It only took Theo a few minutes to decide. He had no plans. He had no friends. He had taken to wandering around in his snake form more and more often, and professors simply marked him absent. The only one who had noticed was Professor Snape, and he had given Theo one quiet warning about not messing with magic he didn’t understand and then ignored the absences.
Everyone else assumes a Death Eater’s son is already tainted.
Theo, in truth, was his own person and his own side. It couldn’t hurt to see what Potter was like in private moments, and whether he had anything to offer that might make Dumbledore’s side more attractive.
Theo writhed towards Potter. Potter showed his right arm, fearless. There was an odd scar on it that smelled of powerful magic. Theo let his tongue trace the air next to it as he climbed Potter’s arm and ducked beneath his cloak.
The scents were much stronger there, and Theo tasted and sampled the air as Potter rustled back towards Gryffindor Tower. It seemed that the cloak was special, since Potter’s footsteps also made his body shake when Theo was inside the cloak with him in a way they hadn’t made the floor shake.
Theo stretched his head along the back of Potter’s hand, and observed.
*
“Why do you have a snake, mate?”
“Well, people can’t hurt me worse than they already do, can they?”
Potter’s voice was thin and his smile was thin, but the arm he used to cradle Theo against his body wasn’t. Theo watched Granger and Weasley exchange glances. This close and at this angle, their major important features were Weasley’s sharp chin and the halo of hair around Granger’s face.
“No, I suppose they can’t,” Weasley said slowly. “But I still think that you shouldn’t show that thing around, mate.”
Theo enjoyed not being in his human form and not having to bristle. He had bristled so much of his life, from insults to him and Father and Slytherin House and his magic. But now he could simply be there and listen.
“I’ll conceal him.”
“How do you know it’s a him?” Granger asked.
“I just do,” Potter said. He made a motion as if he were going to shrug, but then seemed to remember that he had Theo depending on him. He put Theo carefully on his shoulder and waved his wand.
An impressive Disillusionment Charm settled around Potter’s shoulder. Theo flicked his tongue out and checked the taste of the magic. Yes, it was less powerful than the cloak, but it would do. Theo could accept this Disillusionment Charm.
“Come on, mate, let’s get to breakfast.”
Theo studied the way that Granger and Weasley walked on either side of Potter, grimly marching along like soldiers. Theo had not known that Potter could inspire others to be soldiers.
He would study this and investigate.
*
Potter was leading a secret Defense group.
Theo lay coiled on the little platform that Potter had made the room conjure for him, by some magic that Theo didn’t understand. He had got a few nervous glances from the members of Potter’s group since Potter had introduced him to them, but then they’d started practicing magic, and they had better things to concentrate on.
Several of them could do Patronus Charms.
Theo watched a silvery hare hop around, and a terrier materialize from Weasley’s wand. Granger was still practicing with a misty otter.
Potter, meanwhile, moved around from person to person, urging and cajoling and demonstrating and joking. Whenever someone faltered, he cast his own Patronus, a stamping silvery stag that would have made Theo coil defensively if he were on the floor.
Potter acted as though he wasn’t beaten down by Umbridge or people’s hatred of him here. Theo wished he knew how that was possible.
Theo had fled into his Animagus form, leaving his human life behind for days at a time, because of less targeted and concentrated hatred than Potter was experiencing. And yet Potter could smile and laugh and joke, and even some of the people who had doubted him, like Seamus Finnigan, were here and taking instructions from him.
Why?
Theo tucked his head into his coils, now and then sampling the air for scents, and pondered this.
*
“You have gone Dark!”
It seemed that Finnigan’s release from madness was only temporary, given that he was confronting Potter in the middle of the corridor between classes now. And over Theo, whom he had seen at the Defense group.
“What are you talking about?” Potter’s voice was tight, and his arm had come up to shield Theo, who was looped around his neck. Potter seemed to have subconsciously discerned the source of Finnigan’s ire even though he was asking about it.
He hadn’t cast the Disillusionment Charm that morning, Potter had explained to his friends, because he’d thought people could accept him with the snake after seeing Theo at the Defense Association practice. He probably should have known better.
“That snake! Why do you have a snake if you aren’t practicing Dark Arts?”
“What?”
“They can be done with a snake! Some of the important rituals need a snake! Or didn’t you know that?”
“No, actually, I didn’t. You seem pretty familiar with them, though, Seamus.”
Finnigan’s face grew bright and hot. He drew his wand and aimed it at Potter. Potter fell into an awkward dueling stance—awkward because he was still trying to shield Theo with an upraised arm.
Theo decided that was enough of that. He could be hurt in a duel where Potter was wearing him, and he didn’t particularly want to be the cause of Potter being hurt, either. He corkscrewed his body and lunged from Potter’s neck, leaving only enough of his tail hanging on that he wouldn’t fall.
His jaws snapped an inch from Finnigan’s face. The great idiot leaped backwards with a shriek, tripped, and landed on his arse.
A lot of the people who had been eagerly watching the confrontation, including Draco, laughed. Potter reached out his arm and let Theo wind around it, gently bringing him back to his neck.
“Thanks,” he said in Parseltongue, and some of the laughing people froze. But Potter seemed to have decided that he could safely ignore them. “You didn’t have to do that. Why did you do that?”
Strange that Potter didn’t think the snake he had spent time carrying around and catching mice for wouldn’t care enough to defend him. Theo turned so that his eyes were more or less level with Potter’s. “We might have been hurt.”
Potter’s smile grew fierce and wide. He turned to the people nearest him, who all backed hastily away, except for Weasley and Granger. “This is my familiar,” he said loudly. “If you try to hurt him, you’re trying to hurt me. All right?”
Theo paused. There was no hint of a familiar bond between them, and Potter had to know it. Why was he saying it?
To keep you safe, idiot.
“Since when do you have a snake familiar, Potter?” That was Draco, as loud and irritating as always.
“Since now.”
Potter turned slowly around, and the few people who stood near him backed hastily out of the way. Theo decided he could be dramatic as well as useful, and snapped his jaws to make the point.
“Right,” Potter said, apparently satisfied with his reception. “Leave him alone.” He walked down the corridor, looking down at Theo with a continued smile that no one had ever directed at him before.
Theo lay on Potter’s pillow that night, and thought very hard.
