The Serpent's Bite

Muttering hurriedly to herself in words too quiet and too quick for Harry to understand, Madam Clover yanked Davit's shirt up with frantic, shaking hands. His blood was everywhere. How was it possible to bleed that much from such a tiny wound?

"Bloody hell," one of the strangers muttered. It was the first time Harry even noticed their arrival. "It's a ruddy snake bite."

Of course it was a snake bite, Harry thought distractedly.

The other man hissed something quietly to his partner, though Harry couldn't make out the words. He was looking at Harry suspiciously.

All of the blood did come from the two small puncture wounds left behind by Lutain's fangs. There was only a minor amount of swelling around the actual wounds; it was increasing unequally to the rhythmic pulsing of blood from his body.

"For God's sake, do something!" Madam Clover shouted, her voice shrill with panic. She had her hands pressed over the wound, trying in vain to stop the bleeding. They were absolutely covered in David's blood. "Call an ambulance!"

The two men looked at a loss.

David stopped moving. Then he stopped breathing.

Madam Clover wheeled on Harry. Her face was tear-streaked and her eyes burned with a mix of grief and anger. "You did this!"

She grabbed Harry by the shoulders and started to shake him violently. Harry managed to shove her off. Maybe his magic helped him, he couldn't tell. She fell back, sobbing and grief-stricken and refusing to look at him.

And there was guilt there too, as if acknowledging her own part in this. None of it would have happened if she'd just reined David in, instead of turning a blind eye and letting him to become a monster.

Lutain hissed and Harry felt him tense up, ready to strike again.

"No Lutain!"

Harry ignored the strange looks that the two men were giving him. They'd probably just think he was being a freak too; Harry couldn't bring himself to care about their opinions.

"You didn't tell me this would happen."

"I told you I was dangerous. I strike and they fall."

He hadn't meant it. Not like that. At least, that's what Harry tried to tell himself. A small part of him though...

"I thought Master said for flea-rodent to die."

A small part of him knew that David would never mess with him again. Looking down at David's lifeless eyes, a small part of Harry couldn't help but feel satisfied.

He brought this on himself, that small voice in the back of Harry's mind whispered.

Harry agreed. He wanted David to hurt. He wanted David to-

"This is ridiculous," one of the men muttered. He reached into his pocket and he pulled out a wand.

Harry gasped involuntarily, staring in disbelief as the one man pointed it at Madam Clover and muttered a spell. She was knocked down on top of David and she didn't get back up again.

"Alright boy," the other man rasped, pointing his own wand now at Harry. Harry felt a stab of panic. Lutain tensed and hissed menacingly. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but tell that thing to calm down. We aren't going to hurt you."

"Lutain," Harry started, speaking low and cautious. "Back down."

Lutain grumbled, but seemed to calm down a bit. The man at once seemed to relax.

"Good," said the first man, gruffly.

"Bollocks! What do we do now? What's the plan?" The second man demanded.

"You came here with a plan?" Harry echoed. Maybe he was still feeling the shock himself, but he was beginning to feel suspicious. "Why did you come here?"

"For you, Potter," the first man said. "But now our plan's out the bloody window."

"What-" His partner started. He glanced over at Harry. "Oh you can't be serious-"

"What choice do we have? The boy's a bloody parselmouth!" The first man argued angrily, flicking his wand in Harry's direction. "I say we burn this whole place down, take him, and go. You know the Lord's going to wonder too."

"But Rodolphus-"

"Look, think about it for a minute: a Potter?" The man now identified as Rodolphus stressed. "Being a parselmouth?"

The other man seemed conflicted, but he nodded grudgingly.

"Wait- burn this place down?" Harry said, his brain catching up to their conversation. That sense that something was wrong was suddenly very, very urgent. "I don't-"

"Silence, Potter," the unidentified wizard snapped.

Harry's eyes narrowed and his fingers twitched. There was an uncomfortable pressure between his ears, and before their eyes, the ground around them burst into bright scarlet flames. They licked hungrily at the wizards' boots, though the material seemed to be fireproof.

"Did he just do that wordlessly?" Rodolphus started.

Harry glared and the other man started chuckling. "Alright, he killed a muggle, speaks to snakes, and can do wordless, wandless magic. Bella is going to love him."

Harry's eyes went wide and Lutain reared. There was an unfamiliar word and a flash of red. Then, blissful unconsciousness.

....

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