Wild Raven

Animal Companions

Information:

"Siriusly?" - talking

'Raven' - thinking

'you are an idiot!' - telepathy

"Wolf in sheep's clothing" - parseltongue

-YOU!- - spell

1984

A three-year-old Harry Potter knelt in his aunt's garden, sun blaring and thorns scratching his hands. He wiped his sweaty forehead, and moved to the next spot, his knees burning from dragging them through the soil. His aunt had harshly told him that he should not stand or let any of the neighbors and nearby walkers see him. She explained that nobody knew about him and that they should keep it that way.

Harry never really understood why nobody could know about him. He knew he was different, he had some suspicions about how his uncle and Dudley called him a freak and never treated him like family. But what confirmed the thought was when he had accidentally levitated a glass bowl to stop it from breaking. He had been so relieved that he hadn't noticed and only thought about it when he was back in his cupboard.

He looked down as he felt something touch his red knee. A small black string was there. He turned to pick it up, thinking 'How did this get here?'. He was sure he had cleaned out all the garbage the day before. Just as he was about to pick it up, he heard something.

"Sssstupid humans, alwaysss trying to touch me."

"W-who said that?" Harry asked, scared. He didn't notice that he wasn't speaking anymore, hissing.

"You can underssstand me, human?"

"Y-yes?" He answered hesitantly, still hissing. He didn't want to think he was going insane, but it was possible. "Can you t-tell me where y-you are?"

"Look down, human. You were jussst about to pick me up."

He looked down and noticed the black string was now moving around as if it was alive. He almost jumped back when he realized he was just about to pick up a snake. A poisonous one. It had a white symbol shaped like a heart, which he thought was two snakes, and it was in the middle of the snake's tiny head.

Harry remembered this snake from a book he read at school and became even more terrified. It was a King Cobra. He had thought they only lived in or near Asia, but maybe the book was wrong. (I know King Cobras' aren't in England or anywhere near, but just go with it.)

Its forked tongue flickered out of its mouth for a moment, tasting his terror and confusion.

"Human, pick me up. Now." The snake demanded, its head lifting off the ground. Harry was cautious as he slowly scooped the snake in his hands, expecting it to bite him any minute. But then, he just felt confused. How could he understand the snake? Why was there a dangerous snake in the garden? How did the snake understand him? And overall, what was a King Cobra doing in England, in Privet Drive, in Aunt Petunia's garden?

The snake slithered up his arm to rest on his shoulder, its head laying near a vein on his neck. He wasn't old enough to study things inside the body yet, but from what he read in the library, he knew he would die a tortuous death if the snake bit him.

"Human.-Tell me your name."

Harry blinked slowly, still trying to process that a snake was talking to him, then he said, "Um, my name is Harry. Can you, uh, tell me how you are speaking and why I understand you? As far as I know, I don't think animals are supposed to talk."

"Oh, you are ssstill obliviouss to our world?"

"What world? Are you saying there are different worlds out there, like different universes?" Harry asked, excited at the thought of multiple realities.

The snake made a weird noise and thought it sounded like the snake was sighing at him. "You are very cluelessss Hu-Harry. I come from a world of people and creaturesss of magic. You are still living in a world where people do not have a drop of magic in their veins. I am sssure you know what magic is?"

Harry almost freaked out when the snake said the forbidden word. He looked around to see if anyone had heard it before turning back to the snake. "What are you doing? You can't say that word! My uncle would lock you in the closet for more than 4 days without food or water if you say that word!"

"What?!?!" The snake hissed engraved, "They are, what do humans call it, abussssive? Let me at 'em! I'll kill 'em!"

Harry felt springy happy at that, though he didn't know if it was the thought of someone defending and caring for him or of his uncle and aunt dying. He looked back at the snake and said, "Don't worry, I- er, I don't think that they're abusive. Now, what were you saying about m-mag-gic?"

The snake looked furious but continued, "The humansss call them, mugglesss, people who don't have magic. I have never met humansss who don't know about their magic, why do you not know of it?"

"WHAT?!?" Harry hissed loudly, and quickly shut his hands over his mouth, closing his eyes while praying that no one heard that. He continued lower, "What do you mean I have m-magic? I can't have magic! I-I'm Harry, nothing special, just Harry."

The snake 'sighed' again, "Child, why are you like this? you have magic, like sssay, has anything sstrange or unexplainable, actually not that one, humans can cover up anything no matter how ridiculous, so has anything ssstrange or ssssomething you don't know how you did happen when you are angry or sad or distressed?"

"I mean, yeah, like when Dudley, my cousin, chased me trying to play Harry Hunting, and I was running through the school when I suddenly was on the top of the highest roof in the school. There was also this other time when I turned a teacher's hair blue, I don't know what happened, he was being mean to a girl in class and then his hair was blue."

"You hatchling, I just told you about a million times! You have magic, you dumb-"

Harry covered his ears and quickly interrupted, "Maybe, uh, just explain why you think I have magic."

"Sssstupid humans... I can senssse that you have blood filled with magic, it's intoxicating, If one does not have magic, their blood smells disssgusting, like those things that run underground. I will start by explaining what you can do with magic and how it is done."

Harry nodded, eager to learn more about his supposed 'magic'.

"Magic is done with sssticks named wands, at least that's what I heard them say, they use the sticks to use their magic correctly and properly, the fools. Magic is not meant to be contained, it is supposed to be free and wild. You have no control unless when it wants you, but you can learn to make it your companion."

Harry blinked, 'What? I thought...the stories always said that everyone control-l-led the magic, but-'

The snake continued, interrupting him, "It has an aura around it, so you can tell who and why they are what they are. I don't know if you have the sssskill to see them, but parselmouthssss, that is what people who are able to talk to snakes are called," the snake explained seeing his confused expression, "can do it."

"Is there a portal or something to get to the m-magical world?" Harry questioned, his eyes sparkling. The snake nodded,

"There isss a place called Diagon Alley, I will take you there."

The door opened and Harry hissed urgently, "Get into my pocket, I don't want my aunt to see you."

The snake bobbed its head and slithered into the small pocket on his shirt. Footsteps came closer right as Harry leaned forward to act as if he was still working and didn't just talk to a snake and learn about a magical world a second ago.

"Harry," his aunt whispered, "Get back inside, now!"

Harry nodded and quickly walked through the door, which was barely open, pressing his back to the wall to get inside. He fast-walked to his cupboard and closed the door before collapsing on the small blanket.