A Snake Named Voldemort

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I didn't write this story, it belongs to estalita11 on AO3!! I asked them if I was allowed to publish it here, and I was, so here it is!!! Hope you all enjoy!

"Regular speech"

:Parseltongue:

'Thoughts'

"Spells" 

:Spells: , in Parseltongue

:Potter!:

Dressed in plain black robes, a relatively petite young man with untamed black hair and circular, wire rimmed glasses paused, startled at the abrupt call of his name. Especially, he thought as he looked around, when there was no one in sight.

"Erm, hello?"

Something hissed in clear aggravation.

:Down here,: the voice said in a scathing tone, if not with a somewhat mournful ring to it as well.

Harry looked down. :Oh.:

Down by Harry's feet, on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, lay coiled a pure white cobra, the front part of its body sitting upright, its hood proudly flared. The snake's pink mouth parted, displaying its fangs. It was a rather large and impressive specimen, but upon closer inspection, Harry thought it looked a little worse for wear, and very exhausted despite its intimidation ploy. Not to be mistaken that Harry wasn't still wary of it, but, barring Slytherin's Basilisk, he'd never met a snake who'd ever tried to hurt him, and therefore wasn't feeling very frightened of the cobra.

Although, he had to acknowledge, he hadn't exactly met many snakes in the first place to make a true generalisation...

Nevertheless, Harry crouched down to be more eye-level with the striking snake. Besides, he was an intrigued Gryffindor ...they sometimes did things that may not be particularly smart.

:Um, you know my name,: Harry said, bewildered now that he actually registered this tidbit of information.

The snake hissed again. Apparently it had a bit of a temper, but still it made no move to attack him.

:Of course I know your name, boy. I know everything about you, more so than anyone else.:

Something about the snake's tone and mannerism clicked in Harry's mind, but it was when he noticed not the reddish-pink eyes an albino animal usually had, but the unsettlingly blood red ones this cobra carried that everything fully fell into place.

With a choked cry, a wide-eyed Harry Potter fell back on his bum in shock. The voice wasn't quite the same as the one from his nightmares, lacking the high, ethereal quality, and for the fact it was coming from a snake's mouth, but now it was unmistakable.

:V-Voldemort?:

:No, Albus Dumbledore. Of course it's me, you stupid boy!:

Harry frantically glanced around, hoping there was somebody, anybody, out and about to at least go inside and warn somebody else that the bloody Dark Lord was here at Hogwarts and he might need a little bit of help. Meanwhile, his hand was scrabbling for his pocketed wand.

'Of all the times to go sneaking out after curfew...' Harry thought to himself when his search for help came up for naught. He turned to face Voldemort again, taking care to point his retrieved wand at the wizard-turned-snake.

:How uncouth,: Voldemort hissed, flaring his hood even wider. :Does it look like I have my wand, Potter?:

Harry narrowed his eyes. :You're a poisonous cobra, it's not like you're unarmed. Besides, do you really think I'm going to let my guard down around you?: Harry spat.