Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JKR, of course. Just puttering about in her world.

\\Parseltongue\\

In the month it took Severus and Poppy to gently work through the usual mental shields Allie had managed to erect for herself, Harry thought of ways to lay the groundwork for the child's acceptance at Hogwarts as a Parselmouth. He'd be damned before he let her go through the trauma of having an entire school's worth of children swearing she was dark due to having a rare magical skill, especially after her own mother had terrified her so badly of the skill the girl had managed to block her own magic. Not that Severus would ever allow the large-scale mistreatment of any child that Dumbledore had routinely overlooked, but when it came to a child he loved, Harry was taking no chances.

A quick trip to Muggle London, and he came home with pair of snakes, grinning at the variety shop owner had that he knew didn't exist before snake breeders got involved. The docile rat-eaters were easy to care for and non-venomous, unlike the majority of magical snakes. While he wouldn't mind a venomous pet, it wasn't a responsible choice while living in a castle full of children or in consideration of Richard's looming toddlerhood. Allie had happily claimed the lavender corn snake, exclaiming happily and refusing to believe the pretty coloration wasn't from magic. In typical child naming tactics, the snake was promptly dubbed Lavender. The little male snake didn't seem to mind the feminine moniker, so it stuck.

He'd been surprised to see a reverse stripe High White California King Snake in a London shop, but the owner had indicated the snake was sold to his shop by an American family whose child had outgrown the novelty of owning the snowy white snake with its obsidian back stripe. He had let the snake wrap around his wrist, its coloring reminding him so strongly of Hedwig that he almost put it back. But he'd decided at last that his first pet would be honored he selected another pet with her coloring in mind. He hadn't shown himself much more creative than the nine-year-old in pet naming. His sweet natured little snake was simply called Frost.

Both snakes had been happy to find themselves among humans that could speak to them, although seemed puzzled that the talent wasn't widespread.

Harry introduced the snake in his third year Wizard Studies class, figuring the Muggleborn or Muggle-raised children less likely to know of either Voldemort or himself having the skill. It wasn't well-documented in the biographies and histories posted after the war that he was a Parselmouth, although it featured prominently in Voldemort's.

The children filed in, darting puzzled glances at their professor, who sat reading at his desk with the snake draped across his shoulders. Prompting from him before the class had started had Frost pretending to read along with him, her delicate black-marked head swaying back and forth. It was all Harry could do not to laugh at their expressions and the overheard whispers of "Is that snake reading?"

His amusement carried him through the entire class covering wizarding musical instruments, especially when Frost enjoyed the music and "danced" along to a few of them. At the end of the class, he distributed a parchment among the students. "If any of you want to know more about playing an instrument, there will be classes offered in the evenings next term for third years. Which instruments will depend on how many students indicate an interest and in what. Beyond the introductory term, it is up to you to consult with your parents for continued music lessons, although arrangements can be made with the Headmaster for a musical tutor to visit the school evenings or weekends. Now off to lunch with the lot of you."

It was one of the changes Harry had liked about Hogwarts, the extracurricular activities that had been added. The school couldn't justify a full-scale musical or art program, but single-term introductions via his classes let the children get a taste of something and then left it open to their parents to continue lessons. There was even a "scholarship" fund to provide continued lessons for any child whose parents couldn't afford the extra expense.

As expected, the students didn't make their usual stampede to the door, so common to classes just prior to lunch. Some did drift that way, but finally a Ravenclaw spoke up. "I've never seen a snake like that," the boy said. "What kind of snake is it, Professor? A magical one?"

Harry shook his head. "It's a California king snake, originally a North American breed but found over here due to pet shops." He stroked the underside of Frost's jaw with a finger. "Frost here is a bit of a specialty of breeding. Most commonly this type of king snake has banded stripes, black and white. Her color phase is called a reverse stripe."

Since the first question had been answered, another child piped up. "Is it venomous?"

"No. All king snakes are non-venomous, unlike most magical snakes. They eat other snakes and reptiles, rodents, birds, eggs, and generally anything small enough for them to follow. She's fully grown, by the way. They don't get much bigger."

"My brother has a ball python," came a soft voice from the back. The girl was one of his shyer students, the only Muggleborn child in a family of four children. "He's as long as I am tall."

"I used to have one that size in my classroom in America." The snake had been popular with the middle school boys in his science classes. He saw nothing in the students' faces that indicated any great fear of the snake now twining down his right arm. "I know that snakes are traditionally associated with Slytherin House and by some older wizards as a dark creature, but they make nice pets. Does anyone here know what rare magic talent is associated with snakes?"

The two Slytherin students exchanged glances, and the girl seemed to be volunteered to speak up. "Parseltongue." Her answer got her blank looks from her classmates, so she elaborated. "Speaking snake language."

"Five points to Slytherin." Harry smiled. "It is a talent often attributed to the founder of Slytherin House so I'm glad House history is still being handed down properly. It's a very rare talent in Britain, almost exclusively confined to his descendants, but more well-known especially in the Americas and Asia. I've heard that it's so common among wizards in Indonesia that snakes are the most commonly preferred familiar there."

The Slytherin girl, proud of earning points, grew bolder. "There's a rumor in our House, Professor, but I've never seen any confirmation of it."

"What would that be?" House lore still persisted, history and little secrets not readily shared across House lines. Severus didn't discourage it because students did need things to take pride in about their House, so long as such lore didn't become the source of bullying or strife. Draco had already informed him that his talent was an unconfirmed secret in Slytherin.

"That you're a Parselmouth." When he nodded, the girl looked thrilled. He imagined she'd be rather popular in her common room tonight, to be able to bring back proof of such a rumor.

"There have only been two known British Parselmouths in the past century, although since it has been considered a Dark talent for at least that amount of time, there could have been others who simply chose not to disclose it. The talent is neither Light nor Dark, simply rare here, much like being a Metamorphagus or Animagi." He waved the children toward the door. "Off to lunch before your housemates eat it all."

The children scattered at last, and he realized belatedly that none of them had asked for a demonstration. The pre-lunch timing of reminding students of his ability had been on purpose. By telling one class and then taking the snake with him to lunch, it would be all over Hogwarts by dinner.

\\That was nice,\\ Frost said. \\Will we do it again?\\

\\As long as you're not tired, I have two more classes this afternoon.\\ With her assent, they headed for the Great Hall to finish setting his plan to make the residents of Hogwarts comfortable with Parseltongue.

Draco entered their bedroom from the bathroom, clad only in his towel, casting a drying charm on his hair. He watched Harry, who lay on the bed with Frost on his bare chest, chatting idly to the snake. "I should find the sound of you talking to her abhorrent, but instead it's a turn-on," he said.

Laughing, Harry bid the snake goodnight and set her on the floor so she could seek out the small habitat he'd created for her beside the wardrobe. "Why's that? Everyone says they just hear hissing. Not really my idea of sexy."

"I think it's because I can feel your magic just like when you're casting a spell." Draco discarded his towel and slid into bed next to Harry.

"Ah. Makes sense then." Remus had forewarned Harry, once he'd realized that he and Draco were involved, that magical pairs often found themselves becoming sensitive to the magic of their partners. It wasn't something Harry had experienced before, since he and Ginny had barely dated and his partners since had all been Muggle. The level of the sensitivity was often reflective of the individual power of each half. Draco was a powerful wizard in his own right, so it wasn't shocking they were beginning to sense the other's magic quite clearly when near each other. "Feels a bit like a tingling all over now, doesn't it?"

Draco chuckled. "I'm starting to understand why Andromeda looks a bit dazed if she's nearby and Severus has to cast something that taps into Hogwarts' magic. Can you imagine the boost to his own power?"

"I imagine it'd be almost like a firewhisky buzz for someone not used to it. Andromeda's had a decade to do that, at least. I wonder if that's why Dumbledore was single throughout his career as Headmaster." Harry might not hold the man in the esteem he had as a youth, but he had to acknowledge the man had been the most powerful wizard of his age.

"Might explain it. I always wondered about him and McGonagall, you know. We had a bet in Slytherin about it, but then there seemed to be truth to what Skeeter published about him and Grindlewald, at least as far as his brother admitted."

The reminder of Dumbledore's sexuality – one thing he did have in common with the meddling old man - made Harry thoughtful. "I wonder if he'd have been less of a manipulator if he had moved on, or if he'd become a father. I can't imagine allowing any children to go through the things he allowed, not as a father myself."

"I still wonder at my own father's sanity, all things considered."

Harry tugged Draco close, wrapping his body protectively around the other man. "At least he woke up before he lost everything truly important to him. It's too easy to let hate rule your emotions instead of love."

"It's amazing you didn't," Draco said softly. Harry had spent more than a few late nights curled up like this with his lover, filling in the blanks of his life before Hogwarts.

"Hate would have made me too much like them. I just kept fighting to be the opposite of that, and look where it got me. I have a wonderful family, a great job, and I've fallen in love twice when some don't even manage it once."

Draco went completely still in Harry's arms, then turned so that grey eyes met green. "Do you mean that?"

"I know we haven't said it officially, Draco, but it's rather obvious what we feel for each other." Harry interrupted himself to claim a kiss, his mouth exploring Draco's tenderly. "But I'll state it boldly so you know for sure. I love you."

The blond's breath hitched as he buried his face in Harry's shoulder. His voice was half-muffled as he replied. "I love you too."

Harry gently urged Draco to meet his gaze again. This wasn't exactly how he'd planned on asking, but naked in bed wasn't exactly mundane either. He stroked the other man's cheek. "I want to make our family as official as possible."

"We can't marry..."

"No, but a civil partnership is just splitting hairs, isn't it, legally?" He smiled. "Nothing stops us from calling each other what we like or even having a ceremony for our friends and family."

"My mother would be ecstatic to plan something."

"So that's a yes?" Harry's smile widened into a full-fledged grin.

"Yes, Harry." Draco's own happy expression changed to something more intense as he moved to pin Harry beneath him. "As long as it means getting to make love to you for the rest of our lives."

Harry had no objections to that and joined Draco to demonstrate exactly what lay in store for them.