A Snake Named Voldemort

Chapter 10

I would like to thank  tylerjlozier for being the first to add this story to a reading-list, even though it's not mine! I will be trying to upload one part every day, but I can't guarantee that that will happen, because I am in the middle of a test-week, so I have to study a lot. If you can't wait, just go to AO3, and finish the story there...

Harry landed on his back with a harsh thud onto a dark hardwood floor, and he swallowed heavily to keep the contents of his stomach down. He groaned and lifted his arms into the air above him, checking to make sure that they were, in fact, still attached to him. Next he wiggled his toes, assuming that if they were still there then the rest of his legs would be too. That done, he took several even breaths, eyes closed, as he calmed himself down. Only moving his eyes in an attempt to keep his head from spinning, he looked for Voldemort. The Dark Lord was twisted around himself next to Harry on the floor, his head pressed into his coils and looking quite pathetic.

:Voldemort? You alright? Nothing splinched?: Voldemort's initial response was to twitch a bit.

:Ugh. That was the worst example of Side-Along Apparition I have ever experienced. Never again, Potter.:

Even in his shaky condition, Harry had to roll his eyes. :What is with you in insulting me every time I save your bloody life? I'll stop, if you want. If you can't do something right, then don't do it at all, isn't that what they say?:

They fell silent, both trying to put their molecules back together after Harry's first-time Apparition attempt.

:Thank you,: the snake said quickly and lowly before grimacing as if the words tasted bad.

Harry froze; literally everything stopped—heart, lungs, brain, everything.

:Wha—what?: He didn't imagine it, did he?

:Don't make me say it again,: Voldemort complained with a sigh. It took a moment for Harry to learn to breathe again.

:You're welcome,: he eventually murmured. He lay for what felt like hours on the hard floor, merely staring up at the ceiling, trying to put his thoughts together. Harry could tell that Voldemort was just about as confused as he was over the previous events, so that meant they weren't going to get any answers from each other.

Finally, Harry heaved a sigh and sat up slowly, wincing from his bruised muscles. He combed his fingers through his hair and looked around.

:Where are we?: Voldemort finally asked.

Harry and Voldemort were sitting in the front foyer of a small house. Like Grimmauld Place, the house was decorated in a way Harry would call modern gothic or maybe Victorian, with dark wood floors, lush furniture, and ornate trimmings. The visible walls were painted a deep crème, and supported several old tapestries and scenic paintings that moved with an invisible breeze. To the left appeared to be a sitting room, and down the hall to the right Harry could just make out what looked to be a red-walled dining room. Unlike Grimmauld, however, was the condition of the house. There wasn't a cobweb or speck of dust in sight.

Harry crossed his legs, picking Voldemort off the floor and setting him around his shoulders in the process as he leaned gently against the wall.

:We are in one of the Black family houses out in the country. Sirius Black, my godfather, made me heir to all their holdings. Dumbledore doesn't know about this place. No one knows, really. Sirius wanted me to have a safe place to go, if I ever needed it. He never really got to take care of me, so he did what he could.: Here Harry paused before quietly saying, :He snuck me here last holiday break.: It was more or less exactly a year ago. Harry was glad he did, so he could Apparate here.